Credit: MEGA
Erika Jayne could be headed to trial over a $5 million case initially filed against her estranged husband, Thomas Girardi, and his defunct law firm, Girardi Keese.
As the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills cast member attempts to have the case, filed by the Law Office of Philip R. Sheldon and the law firm of Robert F. Finn, dismissed, claiming the agreement they allegedly made with Thomas “blatantly violated and did not comply with the applicable California Rules of Professional Conduct,” the firms are fighting back, demanding her request for dismissal be denied and asking for the case to go to trial.
According to court documents obtained by Radar Online on August 22, the firms are asking the court to shut down Erika’s attempt to have the claims thrown out, saying, “Erika Girardi is the single largest beneficiary of the single largest fraud by a law firm in the history of California.”
“With her help, Ms. Girardi’s husband, Tom Girardi, and his son-in-law, Defendant David Lira, stole more than $100 million from clients and attorneys like Plaintiffs Philip Sheldon and Robert Finn who referred the clients, and Ms. Girardi spent much of that money financing her lavish lifestyle and her expensive and unprofitable dream to become a pop star,” they continued. “[Jayne] admits that she signed all the tax returns for her company EJ Global, LLC, which received at least $25 million from Girardi Keese, and facilitated a massive tax fraud by her, her husband and Girardi Keese.”
“[Erika] now conveniently claims she didn’t know anything, she just signed whatever she was asked to sign under penalty of perjury, gave whatever sworn testimony she was asked to give, and didn’t ask any questions of anyone, despite access to numerous attorneys and accountants,” the firms added.
As RHOBH fans may recall, the attorneys first took legal action against Erika in June. But their initial case, requesting $5 million in damages, was filed against Thomas and Girardi Keese.
According to the firms, they referred thousands of legal cases to Thomas and his law firm, “pursuant to an agreement to share in the attorneys’ fees paid when the cases settled.” However, when it was time to pay up, Thomas failed to do so.
Thomas “embezzled and redirected the funds to family members, friends, partners, lenders, and creditors, and used the money to fund outrageously lavish lifestyles for himself and his wife Erika Jayne, who is better known as one of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills,” they alleged.
But Erika argued that she should be dismissed from the case, with all allegations against her tossed, due to the fact that the agreement they supposedly entered into with Thomas was illegal.
“There is no evidence – because it never happened – that [Jayne], a non-attorney, allegedly managed or directed the financial affairs of [Girardi Keese], whether related to the transactions between GK and Plaintiffs or otherwise,” she added in court documents of her own.
The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills season 12 airs Wednesdays at 8/7c on Bravo.