Erika Jayne from Tom Girardi's alleged embezzlement crimes. The lawsuits against the former couple came to light a month after Erika filed for divorce from the one-time top Los Angeles attorney in late 2020. Tom was accused of embezzling millions of dollars of his client's money to help fund his and Erika's lavish lifestyle that was often shown on RHOBH.
The former lawyer reportedly stole the money from burn victims, as well as orphans and widows from the infamous Lion Air plane crash. Erika has since denied she had any involvement in the crimes and is working around the clock to clear her name. Despite owning several expensive items such as designer clothing, diamond accessories, and more, Erika claims everything was a gift from Tom. Nonetheless, the courts don't seem to buy what Erika is selling.
In legal documents obtained by Page Six, Erika's company, EJ Global LLC, was hit with a $2.1 million lawsuit by attorney Manuel H. Miller and his client Kathleen Bajgrowicz, the mother of late NFL star Chuck Osborne, for reportedly "aiding and abetting" Tom and his law firm, Girardi & Keese. The other suspect named in the lawsuit with the reality star is Tom's former law firm associate David Lira. In the lawsuit filed on Thursday, the documents claim Erika knew about Tom allegedly withholding money from his clients to help pay for the pair's expensive lifestyle. Tom and Miller both agreed to represent Bajgrowicz and split the fees while working with her to help sue the NFL over her son Chuck’s 2012 death caused by repeated head trauma.
Once they were able to settle with the NFL, Tom was supposed to distribute the funds to Miller and Bajgrowicz, but they alleged that the 82-year-old said he was unable to give them their money until "various issues" were resolved first. According to the court documents, Tom allegedly took the money for himself and "breached his and the firm’s fiduciary duty to distribute the funds to Plaintiffs." The plaintiffs also claim that Erika and her associates at EJ Global knew Tom was "operating a Ponzi scheme" and even "encouraged" her husband to do it to help benefit them financially.
Miller says he is owed $278,000, while Bajgrowicz claims Tom owes her at least $1.8 million. Erika has since denied these allegations via her attorney, Evan C. Borges. "The complaint is another misguided effort to blame Erika for the conduct of others in which she had no part. Erika has no law degree and never worked at or managed her former husband’s law firm," her lawyer said to Page Six earlier today. "Whatever Mr. Girardi or others at his law firm did or said to the plaintiffs in this case, Erika had no knowledge or role in any of it."
It seems The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star has not escaped her mountain of lawsuits. Last month, Erika was dismissed from the embezzlement and fraud lawsuit against Tom in Illinois, and now she is back in the thick of it. Erika isn't as free as she thought she was.
Source: Page Six