Just one month after Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star Erika Jayne filed for divorce from husband Tom Girardi, the couple has been sued for allegedly using their split to embezzle money.
According to a complaint filed in an Illinois federal court Wednesday, Erika and Tom are being sued by law firm Edelson PC on behalf of several families who lost loved ones in a Boeing plane crash. The documents detail how Tom and Erika allegedly embezzled settlement funds meant to help the families of victims on Lion Air Flight 610. The documents state: “Tom has resorted to embezzling the proceeds of settlements that should have been directed to his clients — including, as the basis for this Complaint, the widows and orphans who lost loved ones in the tragic crash of Lion Air Flight 610 — in order to continue funding his and Erika’s lavish Beverly Hills lifestyles.”
Tom’s law firm, Girardi & Keese (GK), is also named in the suit, which claims both Tom, 81, and the firm “are on the verge of financial collapse and locked in a downward spiral of mounting debts and dwindling funds.”
Erika filed for divorce from Tom, her husband of 21 years, on Nov. 3, saying in a statement: “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. It is my absolute wish to proceed through this process with respect and with the privacy that both Tom and I deserved,” she added. “I request others give us that privacy as well.”
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