New details of Erika Jayne and Tom Girardi’s divorce are starting to emerge. According to court documents obtained by Us Weekly, the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star is seeking spousal support from her estranged husband.
Erika, 49, is also asking for the 81-year-old lawyer to pay her legal fees. Furthermore, she asked the judge to block Tom from seeking spousal support from her.
News broke on November 3 that the Bravo star filed for divorce. While the docs are dated November 2, Erika didn’t provide a date of separation.
“After much consideration, I have decided to end my marriage to Tom Girardi,” she said in a statement. “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 deserve. I request others give us that privacy as well.”
Erika previously revealed that she didn’t sign a prenup when she married Tom 21 years ago.
“I don’t have a prenup. But let me tell you something, let me be very clear. I’m married to a very powerful lawyer. A prenup wouldn’t stand in his way anyway. So it doesn’t matter whether you had one or you didn’t, it’s gonna be all Tom’s way, I assure you,” she told Andy Cohen on Then & Now in 2018. “He’ll rip that piece of paper to shreds in two seconds!”
Tom is one of the high-power attorneys who inspired the Julia Roberts‘ film Erin Brockovich. While he and Erika live an extravagant lifestyle, he has made headlines for various lawsuits against his firm, Girardi & Keese, in recent years.
“Listen, we’re in the lawsuit business, baby. We sue and get sued,” Erika told Us in February 2019 about her spouse’s legal woes. “So what? So what? It’s part of the job.”
Erika and Tom wed in 1999 after dating for six months. Prior to their split, the “Pretty Mess” singer often defended their 32-year age difference on The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.
“I’m tired of having to justify my 20-year marriage. Go get a 20-year marriage and then come f—king talk to me,” she said during a season 10 episode in April. “It’s great to have financial support. But having someone’s emotional support is something that I wish I had more of growing up.”
Fans will likely see the aftermath of Erika and Tom’s split on season 11 of RHOBH, which is currently filming.
