Erika Jayne has lost her bid to have attorney Ronald Richards removed from the ongoing investigation into her finances.
On Wednesday, Ronald took to his social page to confirm the news with court documents that slammed the 50-year-old Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star’s request as “meritless” as her estranged husband, Thomas Girardi, 82, confirmed he would not testify at an upcoming hearing regarding the whereabouts of settlement funds intended for the families of victims of the Lion Air Flight 610 plane crash.
“BREAKING: Court denies [Erika Jayne]’s failed bid to remove the Special Counsel issuing a 35 page opinion,” Ronald announced on Instagram on August 11.
In accompanying quotes from the court documents, the judge’s ruling read, “Despite the fact that I approved the Application at the June 8 hearing and made it clear at that time that I would not limit Mr. Richards’ First Amendment rights, Ms. Girardi, through her new attorney …. now makes meritless arguments including, inter alia, that numerous new alleged Tweets should somehow disqualify Mr. Richards from representing the chapter trustee. The fact that Ms. Girardi has new counsel does not allow her to ignore what occurred at the June 8 hearing and improperly rehash arguments from her opposition to the Employment Application.”
According to the documents, there was no evidence found that Ronald, who Erika recently slammed as “low budget,” committed any ethical violations that would disqualify him from representing the trustee in charge of Thomas’ bankruptcy proceedings.
In a declaration from attorney Erin Joyce, it was written, “To suggest an attorney who is on a case cannot publicly comment on public filings in the case is ludicrous, and any suggestion that such conduct is against the law is disingenuous. Mr. Richards committed no breach of ethical duties pursuant to either the State Bar Act or the California Rules of Professional Conduct. He should be allowed to remain Special Counsel.”
According to another report from Law360, which was shared by Us Weekly on August 11, Thomas told a Chicago judge on Monday that he will not testify at a September hearing regarding the 2018 Lion Air plane crash in Indonesia.
As RHOBH fans may recall, class action firm Edelson PC filed a lawsuit in December 2020 that accused Thomas and his law firm, Girardi Keese, of misappropriating money intended for the families of the victims of the plane crash. The lawsuit also suggested it was both Thomas and Erika who embezzled $2 million of their settlement in an effort to fund their “outrageous lifestyles.”
Following the allegations, Erika denied knowing anything.
In the midseason trailer, which was released in July, Erika told her co-stars, “If he stole the money, I’d like to know where it is.”
The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills season 11 airs Wednesdays at 8/7c on Bravo.