During Part 2 of the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills reunion, Erika Jayne spilled that she had zero control over her finances.
Andy Cohen, who vowed to put Erika on a skewer throughout the four-part reunion, asked Erika if she stayed with Tom despite his infidelity “for the money.”
In the same episode, Erika claimed she knew of at least three mistresses that Tom was with when they were married.
When Erika said she had no money, Andy Cohen said it couldn’t be true since he knew what her RHOBH salary was– $600,000 to be exact.
This is when Erika confessed that she gave Tom every single bit of money that she made and that he had never given her any of his money.
“I gave every paycheck to my husband,” Erika admitted. “I’ve handed every paycheck I’ve ever made over.”
She then claimed Tom had complete control over her financially that’s why she felt she was forced to stay with him.
“I stayed because I had no access,” she affirmed.
She added, “You’re characterizing it as ‘for the money.’ I’m telling you I could not leave because I had no access to the money.”
Erika implies she was powerless in Tom Girardi marriage
Erika implied that Tom held his financial prowess over her during their marriage.
“I’ll say this. I was 27 when I went in [to the marriage]. He was 60. The power balance is way out of whack,” she explained. “I trusted this man. All of my finances were kept down at the firm, and everything was kept there.”
Erika also admitted that she had exposed his alleged affair with Justice Tricia A. Bigelow. She had posted text messages between her and Tom which included dirty talking, scandalous pictures and her phone number.
When Erika was asked how she managed to pull out the money to leave Tom, she said she couldn’t legally disclose that.
Erika Jayne’s involvement with Tom’s legal problems
RHOBH viewers and lawyers alike continue to debate Erika Jayne’s involvement with Tom Girardi’s legal issues.
Tom was accused of embezzling funds from his clients’ settlements.
Many women find themselves in relationships where “the power balance is way out of whack” and their husbands end up controlling their finances. However, there are also claims that Erika owned some of the LLCs that the money was being funneled into.
Additionally, Erika has been accused of filing for divorce from Tom to protect their assets as more and more lawsuits against Tom began to pop up.
She has claimed that the real reason why she left him was because of the affairs and that he neglected her emotionally.
Erika’s dramatic storyline will develop more on Parts 3 and 4 of the RHOBH reunion and the upcoming Season 12 which is rumored to be starting production earlier than usual to capture all of Erika’s legal drama.
The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills airs on Wednesdays at 9/8c on Bravo.