the law

Erika Jayne Isn’t Off the Hook in Ongoing Embezzlement Case

Photo: Amy Sussman/Getty Images

Erika Jayne’s legal issues continue to be pretty messy. The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills cast member, who’s been at the center of an alleged embezzlement plot involving her estranged husband Tom Girardi, made headlines over the weekend as she was dismissed from a lawsuit against the both of them in Illinois. Since then, though, the law firm that sued Jayne confirmed the suit is set to be refiled in California. Jay Edelson, CEO of Edelson PC, confirmed to Vulture that the case against Jayne isn’t off. “We voluntarily agreed, with the consent of her attorneys, to transfer the case to California to avoid delays over procedural questions,” he said. “Our investigatory team has been hard at work for the past year and we have uncovered evidence that we believe a jury will find damning.” Entertainment Weekly first reported news of the lawsuit’s refiling. Jayne’s attorney did not respond to Vulture’s request for comment.

The lawsuit against Jayne, first filed in December 2020, alleges Jayne and Girardi, a former attorney at Girardi Keese, embezzled $2 million from a settlement for families of victims of the Lion Air Flight 610 plane crash. Jayne was named due to claims that she was aware of Girardi’s embezzlement, and that he spent the money on items for her. (She filed for divorce from Girardi in November 2020.) Recently, for instance, Us Weekly reported that the trustee investigating Girardi Keese’s bankruptcy made a filing involving a $750,000 pair of earrings that Girardi bought for Jayne in 2007, with money reportedly from a client’s trust. Jayne’s attorney, Evan C. Borges, told Us the trustee had “no claim” over the earrings. “I am disturbed by everyone jumping to conclusions about Erika, who is innocent, and trying to blame her for the actions of others,” he said. She’s now set to give the earrings to a third party while the investigation continues, per Us.

Jayne celebrated the lawsuit’s Illinois dismissal on her Instagram Story, posting a series of headlines about the dismissal and a clip of herself saying “fuck you” on The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. Borges told “Page Six” that her dismissal from the lawsuit tied to Girardi and his former firm was “extremely important,” while adding that he and Jayne “have no issue with further investigation.” Edelson, meanwhile, said Erika celebrating the dismissal as a victory “is simply part of her pattern of lies” in his statement to Vulture. “Our advice to her is clear: Quit lying and delaying and immediately return the money to the Lion Air widows and orphans,” he continued. “Misleading the public only strengthens our resolve.”

On top of it all? The refiling in California will only bring the case closer to cameras, after Jayne’s divorce and legal issues were a major plotline on season 11 of RHOBH. Edelson previously subpoenaed Bravo for footage, text messages, emails, and contracts related to Jayne in October. Jayne said during the RHOBH season-11 reunion that her lawyers told her to quit the show amid the scandal. After the news of the dismissal hit, she appeared to be celebrating in Aspen, Colorado, with castmates Lisa Rinna, Sutton Stracke, Garcelle Beauvais, and Crystal Kung Minkoff, per an Instagram post. Season 12 can’t come soon enough.

Erika Jayne Isn’t Off the Hook in Ongoing Embezzlement Case