Erika Jayne’s legal turmoil isn’t going away anytime soon. The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star might have recently been dismissed from a major Illinois lawsuit regarding the embezzlement allegations against her — reportedly set to be refiled in California — but she’s now the subject of a new, separate claim. “Page Six†reported that Jayne and her company, EJ Global, have been sued by attorney Manuel H. Miller and his client Kathleen Bajgrowicz for Jayne’s role in alleged embezzlement by her estranged husband, the former lawyer Tom Girardi. The suit alleges that, after Girardi and Miller represented Bajgrowicz in a case against the NFL involving the death of Bajgrowicz’z son, player Chuck Osborne, Girardi did not disburse the funds to Bajgrowicz or Miller. Jayne “knew about the scheme,†the $2.1 million suit claims, to allegedly use the money for “funding her notoriously lavish lifestyle.†Jayne’s attorney, Evan C. Borges, told Vulture the new lawsuit is “another misguided effort to blame Erika for the conduct of others in which she had no part.â€
Girardi, who has dementia and late-onset Alzheimer’s, is not named in the lawsuit. However, per “Page Six,†the suit claims “Girardi was operating a Ponzi scheme†that Jayne was “aiding and abetting.†David Lira, a former Girardi & Keese lawyer, is named alongside Jayne. Borges said Jayne “had no knowledge or role†in the alleged scheme. “The focus should be on Mr. Girardi, his law firm, and anyone else who enabled what he did,†he continued.
Girardi still faces a separate claim regarding allegations that he embezzled more than $2 million from a settlement for the families of victims of a plane crash; this is the suit Jayne was dismissed from in Illinois. Jay Edelson, CEO of the law firm Edelson PC, told Vulture his firm’s investigation has “uncovered evidence that we believe a jury will find damning†as it prepares to refile in California.