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The attorney hired to investigate Erika Jayne claims the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star is refusing to reveal who’s paying her legal fees as he also questions whether her estranged husband, Thomas Girardi, has really moved into an assisted living facility.
It’s no secret that Erika is not a fan of attorney Ronald Richards, who was hired by the trustee in Thomas’ bankruptcy case to investigate the reality star’s assets, but Ronald claims it’s because he’s getting close to the truth. And in a new interview, he claims Erika has spent a whopping $600,000 on attorney fees thus far, and he’s determined to get to the bottom of where the money is coming from.
“She’s spent $600,000 so far,” he told Adam Newell from Up and Adam on YouTube. “Who’s paying for this? Where’s this coming from?”
“She’s getting mad because frankly I’m getting close to discovering where the source of this capital is,” Ronald continued. “How many people would pay your legal fees for $600,000? That’s not normal.”
The attorney went on to suggest that Erika either has a stash of money she doesn’t want the court to know about or she could be receiving it from a friend or business associate. Regardless of where the money’s coming from, Ronald feels that something isn’t quite right since she’s refusing to share any details.
“It’s either your money or you have a benefactor out there that’s doing it, and why are they doing it?” he wondered. “Are you in business with them? Are they holding money for you? I mean, what’s the reason? If this person is so legitimate, why won’t this person just say, ‘Yeah, Erika is my friend and I’m covering her legal fees.'”
He added, “But, because I feel there’s something a little shady going on, they don’t wanna tell me where this money is coming from. So, of course, that makes me want to look harder.”
When asked if the court will eventually force Erika to disclose where the money is coming from, he insisted that she’ll absolutely be forced to show her hand.
Meanwhile, Ronald is also questioning whether Thomas has really checked in to an assisted living facility following his late-onset Alzheimer’s diagnosis earlier this year. If fans recall, the Daily Mail spotted Thomas outside of Belmont Village in Burbank over the weekend, reporting that he’s trading in his Pasadena mansion for a $4,750 a month suite at the facility. However, Ronald isn’t buying that the disbarred attorney is really living there or that that reported monthly fee is accurate.
On Wednesday, Ronald tweeted, “Update: The rent is $9500.00 per month. There is no sign of Girardi there. They are all month to month. Residents can come and go as they please. No verification he is actually living there.”
This tweet comes after he first accused Thomas of visiting the facility for a quick photo op.
“No bags, scripted photo opp, ‘exclusive’ story, no notice, something isn’t adding up,” he wrote on August 24. “We should have an update by tomorrow. #girardifraud Stay tuned..”
Update: The rent is $9500.00 per month. There is no sign of Girardi there. They are all month to month. Residents can come and go as they please. No verification he is actually living there. https://t.co/t3G9GN76pX
— Ronald Richards (@RonaldRichards) August 25, 2021
When speaking on Up and Adam, Ronald elaborated on his tweet, stating, “I can tell you that I sent investigators there and he wasn’t there yesterday. I may go there myself today and walk right in. I don’t know. He’s just not there.”
He added, “I just don’t know why he’s doing that. They would not know he’s going there unless he told them, so I think it was just a photo op. Why was only one media source there? Do you think the Daily Mail hangs out in front of his house? It’s not like that.”