If Erika Jayne thought her legal problems were slowly down, she was sorely mistaken. The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star has likely been reeling from the cast trip to Aspen. But all the while, a case against her was being built. And it’s a big one.
As reported by Radar Online, Erika is being sued for $50 million. Yes, $50 million. Court documents obtained show Edelson PC is suing Erika. In addition, her company EJ Global LLC, Girardi & Keese and its lenders have also been named in the suit. Those accusations include – racketeering, conspiracy to commit racketeering, aiding and abetting concealment of stolen property, unlawful business practice, and more.
You might remember Edelson PC. They previously asserted that RHOBH footage “proves” that Erika knew about husband Tom Girardi’s misdeeds. Attorney for the firm, Jay Edelson said at the time, “The new complaint we are going to file is going to be fairly explosive. We have now gotten information from Bravo though our case, including unaired footage, as well as evidence from the Bankruptcy Trustee.” He added, “We feel very confident that we will be able to prove to a jury that Erika knew about Tom’s fraud and directly benefited from it.”
Now the same law firm has accused Erika of being the “frontwoman of the operation, selling to the world (including unsuspecting clients) that Girardi Keese was successful.” That is a HUGE accusation. The firm also claimed that Erika “displayed a nationwide showroom of the money they stole on Real Housewives.”
By now, we have all heard how Erika’s estranged husband Tom allegedly ran a Ponzi scheme. This allowed him to bilk clients out of millions of dollars of their settlement money. Tom supposedly used the funds to keep up with the extravagant lifestyle he led with Erika. The two had been married for 21 years when she filed for divorce. Coincidentally, one month before the explosive news of his alleged actions came to light. Tom also stands accused of transferring $20 million to Erika’s LLC.
Edelson PC has also claimed that Erika “mocked” the victims on social media. Court documents show one particular post by Erika. It features a cartoon Erika wearing diamond earrings while being crucified. The documents read, “The depiction of the ‘WIDOWS’ and ‘ORPHANS’ earrings in the cartoon satirized the real-life $750,000 diamond earrings that Erika often flaunted on Housewives, and was meant to mock the idea that she ever received money stolen from Tom’s clients. Though intended as a cruel joke, the Girardi Keese Bankruptcy Trustee recently discovered that the funds used to purchase Erika’s $750,000 diamond earrings were, in fact, funded from a trust account holding settlement money belonging to Tom’s personal injury clients.”
As if that wasn’t enough, the firm also accused Erika of using all this negative press to her advantage. Edelson PC went on, “Though her social media posts are insensitive and shameful on their own, the reason that Erika continues to draw attention to this scandal is far more nefarious. Erika understands that in the world of reality television, she can leverage this scandal to stay in the tabloid press, meaning more exposure and a larger paycheck for her next season of performing on Housewives.”
The plaintiffs of the case are requesting a jury trial and no less than $55 million in damages. While we haven’t heard from Erika’s camp yet, her attorney Evan Borges, is likely working overtime. He has defended her innocence since the beginning. In a previous statement, he said, “ The complaint is another misguided effort to blame Erika for the conduct of others in which she had no part.” Evan continued, “Erika has no law degree and never worked at or managed her former husband’s law firm. The focus should be on Mr. Girardi, his law firm, and anyone else who enabled what he did. Piling on Erika may generate publicity, but it’s without any basis in reality.”
TELL US – WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THIS NEW LAWSUIT AGAINST ERIKA? DO YOU THINK SHE HAD ANY KNOWLEDGE OF WHAT WAS GOING ON? DO YOU WANT TO SEE MORE OF HER LEGAL ISSUES BE ADDRESSED ON THE UPCOMING SEASON OF RHOBH?
[Photo Credit: Bravo]
