Erika Jayne Loses Legal Battle Over $750,000 Diamond Earrings Purchased By Ex Tom Girardi

usmagazine.com:

Erika Jayne will have to surrender her $750,000 diamond earrings after a judge ruled that her estranged husband, Tom Girardi, purchased the jewelry with stolen funds, Us Weekly can confirm.According to an article published by Law360 about the hearing, on Tuesday, June 28,Judge Barry Russell acknowledged that “settlement funds from the trust account created for a class action handled by Thomas’ firm Girardi Keese were used to pay for the diamond earrings.” The judge also noted that he did not believe Erika, 50, “was aware the earrings were stolen property” even though she must still return them.Tom, 83, allegedly bought the earrings in March 2007 with money from a client trust account and cited the purchase as costs for a case, per court docs obtained by Us in February.

Although he initially claimed that the jewelry was stolen from their home, the earrings were allegedly found in a safe.The former attorney for the trustee, Ronald Richards, reacted to the judge’s ruling shortly after attending the hearing.“The Court found the firm embezzled the funds, the earrings were ordered property of the Estate,” Richards, who previously oversaw the bankruptcy case involving Tom’s former law firm, exclusively told Us on Wednesday. “Erika had tried to argue that too much time had passed and that it was the firm’s former clients who should be making this claim, not the Trustee.

The court rejected that argument and said the Trustee can bring a turnover order for the earrings and forfeited all of Erika’s rights in the earrings.”Erika’s lawyer also responded to the decision and discussed how it affects his client. “Once again, Erika is facing consequences for past actions taken by Tom Girardi and Girardi Keese.