Heavy/Getty Erika Jayne
“Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” star Erika Jayne has come a long way since her legal battle began in December 2020, about one month after filing for divorce from her estranged husband, Tom Girardi.
After years of staying quiet about her legal issues on RHOBH, Jayne has now met with and spoken to some of the victims who claim to have been defrauded by Girardi, according to Page Six. These individuals claim his firm, Girardi Keese, paid out only a small amount settlement money it won for them in various cases, according to The New York Times.
“I came here with an open heart to listen to what’s going on, hear what happened and figure out how to be a part of how to move forward together in a way that’s beneficial for all victims,” Jayne told Page Six.
Where Did Erika Jayne Meet With the Fraud Victims?
Jayne met with the fraud victims July 16 in Sherman Oaks, California, at a pop-up event for Paul’s Ice Cream Company, a company founded by a former Girardi Keese employee, Kimberly Archie, and Kathy Ruigomez, whose son Joseph was a burn victim who was represented by Girardi Keese. Joseph claims to have never received $11 million in settlement money. Joseph’s story was featured in the 2021 Hulu documentary “The Housewife and the Hustler.”
Jayne also spoke with Josie Hernandez, who claims to have never received her $135,000 settlement from the firm after they represented her. In a scene from “The Housewife and the Hustler,” Hernandez played a voicemail she received from Girardi in August 2020 in which he said, “I don’t want you mad at me. I’m working like a dog to try and get this thing resolved. … I’m in your corner. … I’m a good guy, by the way.” After filing a complaint with the State Bar of California, she would discover that Girardi Keese had received the settlement money three months earlier, in May.
Jayne has denied any knowledge of her estranged husband’s alleged misdeeds, and the former Girardi & Keese employee Archie believes her, telling Page Six after seeing Jayne at her ice cream event, “I think that it’s even difficult for some attorneys and people who prosecute these kind of cases to understand it. So I think it would be irrational to think Erika knew. I never thought she stole the money or anything like that. My only thing was really just how it came across to the victims, and now this erases any of that obviously because she’s making a concerted effort to make the victims feel better.”
At the event, Jayne also sat for a filmed interview with the Los Angeles Times.
Erika Jayne Is Warming Up For Her Las Vegas Shows
Besides dealing with her ongoing legal battles, Jayne has readying “Bet It All on Blonde,” her first Las Vegas residency, scheduled for August 25 through December 16 at the House of Blues.
Ahead of her residency, Jayne shared a June 2 photo of another live performance she did a little closer to home, captioning the photo, “Back on stage and it feels really good. 😋 Thank you [Kyle Richards] for having me perform at your legendary White Party [Sofi Stadium] ✨ VEGAS you got next! 🙌🏻”. RHOBH fans will recognize Richards’ White Party as a major cast event that she has held since before her time on season one in 2010.
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