The hits just keep coming for The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star Erika Jayne and this time, it’s in the form of a new lawsuit.
Erika has been caught up in a scandal involving her estranged husband, Tom Girardi, accused of embezzling millions of dollars from clients.
The RHOBH star filed for divorce from Tom in late 2020, but that has not excluded her from being entangled in his mounting legal drama.
Erika now has another legal battle to contend with amid claims that she “aided and abetted” the embattled attorney with his alleged wrongdoings over the years.
New lawsuit claims Erika Jayne aided and abetted Tom Girardi
The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star has been going through a lot of legal drama, and it’s not done yet. Another lawsuit was recently filed against the 50-year-old, accusing her of playing a role in her estranged husband’s alleged crimes.
PEOPLE obtained a complaint that was filed against Erika’s company, EJ Global LLC, and claims that she “aided and abetted” Tom Girardi.
The $2.1 million lawsuit was filed on behalf of attorney Manuel H. Miller and Kathleen Bajgrowicz, the mother of NFL star Chuck Osborne who died in 2012.
Tom Girardi and Manuel H. Miller jointly represented Kathleen Bajgrowicz in suing the NFL over her son’s death. The parties are said to have agreed to share the funds from the settlement, and it’s claimed Tom should have dispersed the money.
It’s alleged he “lulled Plaintiffs into believing that the funds could not be distributed to anyone until various issues were first resolved.” However, according to the filing, “Unknown to Plaintiffs, Girardi had already taken their money.”
The lawsuit claims that Erika was “intimately involved in Girardi & Keese’s business dealings” and “knew about” Tom’s alleged embezzlement “scheme.” The plaintiffs also believe that the RHOBH star knew that the victims were “funding her notoriously lavish lifestyle.”
According to the lawsuit, “Defendants should be required to compensate Plaintiffs for the harm they have caused and should be punished for aiding and abetting Girardi’s breach of fiduciary duty and their financial elder abuse of Plaintiffs.”
Erika Jayne’s attorney speaks out after latest lawsuit
Erika’s attorney Evan C. Borges called foul on the lawsuit and issued a statement to PEOPLE in defense of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star.
“The complaint is another misguided effort to blame Erika for the conduct of others in which she had no part,” said Evan C. Borges. “Erika has no law degree and never worked at or managed her former husband’s law firm.”
He continued, “Whatever Mr. Girardi or others at his law firm did or said to the plaintiffs, in this case, Erika had no knowledge or role in any of it. The focus should be on Mr. Girardi, his law firm, and anyone else who enabled what he did. Piling on Erika may generate publicity, but it’s without any basis in reality.”
The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills is currently on hiatus on Bravo.