Thomas Girardi is being called to court following claims of having stolen $18 million from his former clients.
Days after the now-disbarred attorney, who previously appeared on the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills alongside his estranged wife Erika Jayne, was indicted in Los Angeles and Chicago on charges that could result in up to 20 years behind bars, attorney Ronald Richards has shared new details about Thomas’ ongoing legal drama.
“Girardi was given a summons to appear in court on Monday. His attorney accepted service. She was the same attorney who was at the contempt hearing in Chicago. He is getting a break he wasn’t perp walked or raided [and] processed at MDC. Initial question is, how is he paying her?” Ronald wondered in a tweet shared on February 3.
But after sharing the summons, which requires Thomas to appear in court in Los Angeles to address the wire charges mentioned in his indictment, Ronald shared an additional tweet, noting that Thomas has reportedly dropped his previous legal team and requested a public defender to help him with the case.
“Based upon our last tweet, Tom Girardi has apparently dumped private counsel [and] not one but [two] different public defenders filed under seal filings,” he revealed. “They reveal he submitted a signed financial statement [and] is now asking for a [public defender].”
“[Erika Jayne and] her benefactor we guess won’t help,” Ronald shadily added, seemingly giving a nod to James Wilkes II, also known as Jim Wilkes, who is alleged to have been backing the RHOBH cast member financially since her 2020 split from Thomas.
Days ago, after Thomas, along with the former chief financial officer of his defunct law firm, Girardi Keese, Christoper Kamon, and his son-in-law, fellow lawyer David Lira, were indicted in L.A. and Chicago, Erika was spotted at the Burbank Town Center, where she spoke to the Daily Mail about the charges against Thomas and the time he could potentially face behind bars.
“You know, I have something to say, but not right now. You’ll hear from me soon,” she teased.
As RHOBH fans well know, Thomas was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s in early 2021 and was recently transferred from an assisted living facility in Burbank, California to a memory care unit in Orange County. In court documents obtained by PEOPLE in October 2022, Thomas’ then-attorney, Rudy M. A. Cosio, said he had been moved to the new location “due to a further decline in his memory functions.”