Erika Jayne Gets Dumped By Her Lawyers Amid Scandal

Erika Jayne

YouTube/Bravo Erika Jayne

“The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” star Erika Jayne Girardi may have a not so pretty mess on her hands. Jayne’s attorneys have decided to drop her as a client on Tuesday, June 15, shortly after a new documentary debuted. “The Housewife and the Hustler” documentary showcased all of her legal troubles with her estranged husband Tom Girardi, and it hit Hulu on Monday, June 14.

Dinsmore & Shohl LLP filed paperwork to withdraw as her counsel, and the firm notified Jayne the day the documentary dropped, according to court documents obtained by Heavy.

The lawyers didn’t specify the exact reasons for dropping Jayne, but they did write, “The relationship of trust and confidence that is essential to a properly functioning attorney-client relationship has broken down and, in the good faith assessment of counsel, the relationship is irreparable.”

Dinsmore & Shohl LLP did advise that Jayne should seek new representation as soon as possible and warned her of, “the potential consequences of not timely securing replacement counsel.” Jayne has not been legally charged with any crimes yet.


Jayne May Face Significant Legal Troubles

“The Housewife and the Hustler” shed a light on everything going on with the Girardi’s legal issues. Jayne announced her split from her husband Thomas Girardi in early November 2020, telling E! News, “After much consideration, I have decided to end my marriage to Tom Girardi. This is not a step taken lightly or easily. I have great love and respect for Tom and for our years and the lives we built together.”

Shortly after the announcement, Girardi’s assets were frozen, and he faced a civil lawsuit accusing him of embezzlement. Girardi and his law firm, Girardi Keese, were forced into involuntary Chapter 7 bankruptcy in December 2020, per The Los Angeles Times. Prior to that, a federal lawsuit accused Girardi of embezzling “millions” of dollars owed to his past clients.

Jayne’s possible legal battles root from her finances getting tangled up over the two decades of marriage to Girardi. Jayne’s company, EJ Global, allegedly received money from Girardi’s firm over the years. The Edelson PC lawsuit claims that her company, “has allegedly received tens of millions in ‘loans’ directly from Defendant GK, of which Tom is the sole equity shareholder,” per the report from The Los Angeles Times. The lawsuit claims Girardi gave her $20 million in loans from funds transferred from his law firm.

Law360 features reporter Brandon Lowrey explained in “The Housewife and the Hustler,” “[Tom and Erika are] together in these bankruptcy proceedings. A lot of these debts that they owe in bankruptcy proceedings, [they] owe together, possibly. It’s going to be hard for her to say she didn’t know that anything was going on.”


Jayne Has Stated She Didn’t Know About Her Husband’s Alleged Crimes

RHOBH fans everywhere have one main question in mind: did Jayne know about Girardi’s alleged crimes? The Bravo cameras were rolling from the second Jayne filed for divorce, and viewers will see the drama play out onscreen. So far from previews, it looks like Jayne will deny she knew anything about her estranged husband’s dealings.

The RHOBH trailer teases Jayne openly discussing the situation with her fellow cast members. Garcelle Beauvais asks Jayne in the trailer, “With any of the lawsuits, did you have a heads up? Is that why you got divorced?” to which Jayne replies, “No, I did not.”

Even her closest friends – Kyle Richards and Dorit Kemsley – will give their two cents. The Lion Air Flight 610 case comes up during a dinner, and Kemsley says, “Orphans and widows. It makes you feel sick.” Richards chimes in asking Jayne, “Did you know any of this?” Jayne answers with a straight face, “No one knows the answer but him.”

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