Getty Images Fans can't believe who bought Erika Jayne's earrings.
Erika Jayne was forced to turn over a pair of diamond earrings that were gifted to her by her then-husband Tom Girardi.
The earrings were frequently a topic of conversation of “The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills,” as Erika continued wearing them despite knowing that the courts believed that they may have been purchased by embezzled money. According to court documents obtained by Heavy, the earrings had been purchased for $750,000 and were believed to be worth over $1 million.
“It wasn’t easy for [Erika] to part ways with something that was sentimental to her, but she knows she needed to do it and she complied,” a source previously told People magazine.
Erika did, however, turn over the earrings, which had the name “Girardi” engraved on them, and, on December 7, 2022, the earrings were sold to an “anonymous bidder” at an auction for some $312,000 (including fees), according to Law360.
On December 17, 2022, Lauren Richards, wife of attorney Ronald Richards, posted a photo of herself on Instagram — wearing the Girardi diamond studs.
Heavy has reached out to Ronald Richards for comment.
Here’s what you need to know:
Lauren Richards Trolled Erika in the Caption of Her Instagram Post
Ronald Richards is a California-based criminal defense and civil litigation attorney. According to Law.com, he had been serving as “special counsel” to Erika Jayne, but was replaced in November 2021.
In the time since, Ronald Richards has been commenting on the legal proceedings of the case and often shares updates on Twitter. Now, it seems his wife is the new owner of his former client’s diamond earrings.
“I now see why you fought for these @theprettymess They are stunning! Should I have Girardi removed?” Lauren Richards captioned a photo of herself wearing the studs along with a pair of Chanel sunglasses. She used the tags “#girardifraud” and “fraud” in the caption as well.
Several People Reacted to Lauren Richards’ Post on Instagram & on Reddit
Many people took to the comments section of Lauren Richards’ Instagram post to react to her not-so-subtle dig at Erika Jayne. Many people calling her “classless.”
“This is very odd behavior,” one person wrote.
“That’s soo petty and embarrassing, and I’m not even a fan or Erica [sic],” someone else added.
“Okay… what Erika and Tom Giradi [sic] did is despicable but why are you and your husband so obsessed with her? It’s giving creepy, the victims are what matter most,” read a third comment.
A similar conversation was had on Reddit, though many people expressed finding the post “hilarious.” In addition, many Redditors criticized Ronald Richards for purchasing the earrings, accusing him of being “obsessed” with the Girardi case.
“I can’t stand Erika whatsoever but does this man have a career in law outside of chastising her? Its [sic] coming across a little obsessive at this point,” one Reddit user commented on a thread about the earrings.
“This feels icky to me. Is there no conflict of interest there? If RR is benefiting from the sale of the earrings… $200k for earrings supposed to be worth $1mill and then something like 60% goes back into his pocket after that and not to victims,.. I don’t like,” another person said.
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