Erika Jayne is being called to court by one of her estranged husband’s many fraud victims.
Months after a judge agreed that burn victim Joseph Ruigomez should be able to go after the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills cast member for the $11 million he is owed from Thomas Girardi, who represented him in a case against Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E), he’s demanding she appear in court next month with financial documents.
According to court documents shared by Radar Online on August 18, Joseph hopes to question Erika about her finances on September 26.
As RHOBH fans may recall, Joseph enlisted the help of Thomas and his now-defunct law firm, Girardi Keese, after over 90 percent of his body was burned in a 2010 gas pipeline explosion that killed his girlfriend. However, after securing an $11.5 million settlement from PG&E, Thomas allegedly refused to turn the money over to Joseph.
After Thomas and his firm were then forced into bankruptcy in December 2020, Joseph asked a judge not to discharge the money he was owed, and ultimately, a judge decided he could go after Erika.
Now, Joseph wants to examine Erika and her financial records, with his attorney explaining that she should “provide information as to the assets, location of assets, and/or business activity of Judgment Debtors for the purpose of satisfying the judgment herein.”
If Erika declines to appear, she will be faced with a potential arrest.
The news of Joseph’s latest filing was first confirmed by attorney Ronald Richards on Twitter.
“Breaking: Ruigomez seeks a debtors exam against Erika Girardi. Boris Treyzon is seeking it for the creditor. This was the burn victim who had his [money] stolen by [Thomas Girardi]. This by law is a public hearing, she will have to appear in person or face a bench warrant,” he revealed.
Breaking: Ruigomez seeks a debtors exam against Erika Girardi. Boris Treyzon is seeking it for the creditor. This was the burn victim who had his $ stolen by TG. This by law is a public hearing, she will have to appear in person or face a bench warrant. https://t.co/KOK7Z7HVSm
— Ronald Richards (@RonaldRichards) August 18, 2022
In recent months, Erika has not only been faced with a $25 million lawsuit from the trustee presiding over Thomas’ bankruptcy, but also forced to turn over a pair of $750,000 earrings he purchased for her and hit with a $2.2 million tax bill from the California Franchise Tax Board.
In response to the bill, Erika said in court documents, “I do not have the ability to pay the FTB tax bill. I also do not know if the FTB is claiming any sort of lien on my assets, which include the diamond earrings.”
The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills season 12 airs Wednesdays at 8/7c on Bravo.