Erika Jayne Claims ‘No One Cares About the Facts’ Amid Tom Girardi Divorce, Lawsuit: ‘My Hands Are Tied’

Credit: Gregory Pace/Shutterstock

Erika Jayne Claims 'No One Cares About the Facts' Amid Tom Girardi Divorce, Lawsuit: 'My Hands Are Tied'

It all falls down. Following an explosive promo last week, fans were finally able to hear Erika Jayne confront her and Tom Girardi’s ongoing fraud lawsuit during the Wednesday, July 14, episode of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. In the episode, Erika, 50, broke down multiple times after news of the lawsuit came to light. While her costars discussed the news by themselves, the Pretty Mess author was happy to clarify the situation in her own words as well. “My divorce is not a sham,” she told Kyle Richards as tears streamed down her face. “It’s just not. Nobody wants to be in the position I’m in right now. It is really unenviable. Being the possible target of a federal criminal investigation is like, not cool. To have all those things said about you which are not true, and then to have everyone, basically, question everything. It’s lonely and it’s quiet and you would be shocked by how quickly people turn on you. How quickly people distance themselves from you. Automatically, they turn because they don’t want to be involved. They were there when it was good, though.” Following her emotional statement, Kyle, 52, assured the reality star that she would always be there for her as a friend. Other Housewives stood by Erika’s side as well. “Maybe Tom did these things, but I don’t think Erika knew about them,” Garcelle Beauvais said in a confessional. “One thing I do know is that husbands can have secrets that wives don’t know about.” Lisa Rinna told the Broadway star, “We’re here for you Erika. We know who you are. You would not do this.” [jwplayer GJq5lUto] While filming was underway in December 2020, news broke that Erika and Tom, 82, had a class action lawsuit filed against them alleging that the pair embezzled settlement money intended for the victims of families killed in a 2018 plane crash. One month prior, Us Weekly confirmed that Erika had filed for divorce from Tom after 20 years of marriage, causing some to believe that the duo had faked the split to protect their assets. Today, the pair’s legal troubles are still ongoing. “When I filed this divorce, I was a gold digger. This week, [I’m a conspirator]. I mean — what the f—k. Neither one of them are true,” the “Painkillr” singer said during Wednesday’s episode. Scroll to see all of Erika's shocking revelations about her divorce, the lawsuit and her estranged husband in general: [podcast_block]

Credit: Gregory Pace/Shutterstock

Erika Jayne Claims 'No One Cares About the Facts' Amid Tom Girardi Divorce, Lawsuit: 'My Hands Are Tied'

It all falls down. Following an explosive promo last week, fans were finally able to hear Erika Jayne confront her and Tom Girardi’s ongoing fraud lawsuit during the Wednesday, July 14, episode of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. In the episode, Erika, 50, broke down multiple times after news of the lawsuit came to light. While her costars discussed the news by themselves, the Pretty Mess author was happy to clarify the situation in her own words as well. “My divorce is not a sham,” she told Kyle Richards as tears streamed down her face. “It’s just not. Nobody wants to be in the position I’m in right now. It is really unenviable. Being the possible target of a federal criminal investigation is like, not cool. To have all those things said about you which are not true, and then to have everyone, basically, question everything. It’s lonely and it’s quiet and you would be shocked by how quickly people turn on you. How quickly people distance themselves from you. Automatically, they turn because they don’t want to be involved. They were there when it was good, though.” Following her emotional statement, Kyle, 52, assured the reality star that she would always be there for her as a friend. Other Housewives stood by Erika’s side as well. “Maybe Tom did these things, but I don’t think Erika knew about them,” Garcelle Beauvais said in a confessional. “One thing I do know is that husbands can have secrets that wives don’t know about.” Lisa Rinna told the Broadway star, “We’re here for you Erika. We know who you are. You would not do this.” [jwplayer GJq5lUto] While filming was underway in December 2020, news broke that Erika and Tom, 82, had a class action lawsuit filed against them alleging that the pair embezzled settlement money intended for the victims of families killed in a 2018 plane crash. One month prior, Us Weekly confirmed that Erika had filed for divorce from Tom after 20 years of marriage, causing some to believe that the duo had faked the split to protect their assets. Today, the pair’s legal troubles are still ongoing. “When I filed this divorce, I was a gold digger. This week, [I’m a conspirator]. I mean — what the f—k. Neither one of them are true,” the “Painkillr” singer said during Wednesday’s episode. Scroll to see all of Erika's shocking revelations about her divorce, the lawsuit and her estranged husband in general: [podcast_block]

Credit: Shutterstock

Not Her Best

After Lisa asked her costar how she was during a Zoom call, Erika responded that she was "f—king horrible." The call, which also included Kyle, took place just two days after news of the lawsuit broke.

“How do you think I am? This sucks so bad. The things that are being said are just wrong. People are believing them and they’re everywhere and it’s terrible and I’m here by myself,” Erika responded. “You know what’s being said is just insane. That my divorce is a sham. No one cares about the facts.”

Kyle questioned why people were saying the divorce was fake, leaving Erika to clarify: “So I can help hide assets. And the answer is no.”

Lisa kept digging. “How do you hide assets in a divorce?” she asked. “I wouldn’t f—king know," Erika responded.

“Divorce is very painful. And then to have it called a sham is even more painful. It took a lot of courage to leave and it took two seconds for some a—hole to say it was a sham and for everyone to believe it,” she continued. “To be out here on your own and to have, like, millions of dollars' worth of lawsuits pointed at you is heavy. And to know that the person that got you here has been like [cleans hands], you’re like, ‘What the f—k am I gonna do?”

After the Scream actress asked how long Erika would have to deal with the situation, she responded, “Well over a year.” Later, she noted that her current situation felt like “mile one in a marathon.”

Credit: Shutterstock

The Discovery

“I can’t answer that,” Erika said after a producer asked her when she first found out about the Boeing lawsuit. “You’re not a lawyer. Why are you named in a lawsuit about his legal career?” the producer continued, to which the Georgia native replied, “That is the answer. That is the question. I don’t know why I would be named in a lawsuit I have nothing to do with.”

Later, Erika cried during a Zoom with her friends. “I didn’t do this,” she said.

 After Kyle asked her if she was “totally in the dark” on the situation, Erika opened up a bit more regarding the lawsuit’s logistics.

“You have to remember it’s the firm that they’re dragging in,” she added. “They’re suing the firm and I’m being attached to it.”

Credit: Michael Simon/startraksphoto.com; Damian Dovarganes/AP/Shutterstock

Not a Dime

“I think I’m the least of his worries,” Erika said when asked why she must deal with the situation alone without financial help from Tom. “And he hasn’t given me one dime since I walked out that door, so this is all on me.”

Later, she mentioned how egregious it was that Tom wanted her to accept financial responsibility after Kyle brought up headlines that alleged he wanted his estranged wife to pay his attorney fees. At the time, Erika couldn’t perform because of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

“Oh yeah, that was great. That’s just him being a f—king ass,” Erika said. “First of all, how? … He’s always made more money than I have. He knows everything, honey. But he’s concerned with himself first. It’s him first.”

 When Kyle noted that it seemed like Tom was punishing her, Erika said that he was “down to punish [her] ass all the way down into the ground.”

 The caftan designer then asked Erika if she was scared for the future. “Scared for the future? Hell yeah. It’s all I can do just to wake up every day and not want to get back to sleep because it’s just f—ked. There’s no other way to say it. It’s just a disaster. Tom is in the place he’s in, which is his own personal hell, and I cannot help him. … This is the end.”

Credit: Michael Simon/startraksphoto.com; Damian Dovarganes/AP/Shutterstock

In the Dark

“You know my new motto: ‘Why not,’” Erika said sarcastically while popping a bottle of champagne with Crystal Kung Minkoff and Lisa. “Here’s to bursting into tears. I’ve been bursting into my own set of tears lately.”

While sitting down to enjoy their drinks, the Rinnavation author asked the singer how she was doing.

“I’m not good. I called my psychiatrist. It’s too much pressure. It’s so painful when you read things about the lawsuit that says my divorce is a sham so I could hide assets. That has big implications and unfortunately people want to believe that,” Erika responded, adding that it makes people feel better to think she “steals from widows and orphans” because she’s been put on a pedestal as a celebrity.

She continued, “There’s a sadistic streak in everybody. Those who know you know that if you’ve never had to deal with anything like this, then of course it’s easy to believe everything that’s put out there.”

After Crystal once again asked if she knew about the lawsuit beforehand, Erika shook her head, adding, “I ask myself what else is coming.”

Credit: YouTube

Who Brought Down Who

“People think that Erika Jayne brought down Tom Girardi,” the pop star said in a confessional. “Tom Girardi brought down Tom Girardi. I don’t want his actions to absolutely kill what I’ve created. I fear starting over. The only thing I have is my name and the hope that this is not where this ends for me.”

Later, she continued: “It’s not just Tom going down with the ship; he’s taking us all down with him. The people that stayed with him, the people that were loyal to him. He’s brought it all down. We don’t even know what he’s done, but he’s made a mess for all of us.”

Credit: Matt Baron/Shutterstock; YouTube

Don't Make the Same Mistakes

“One lesson that I've learned: When I entered my marriage, I was 28 years old and the power balance was [skewed]. You see what’s happening with me today. Please look at your bank accounts. You have to. Don’t ignore it,” Erika told her fellow Housewives. “I think, too, the more money your husband makes the more he shuts you out. And 22 years later, it doesn’t end up great.”

Credit: Bravo

Couldn’t Have Predicted

Soon after joining Kyle for a walk, Erika broke down in tears.

“Kyle, this is so hard to do. This is so hard. What’s happening is so hard. I’ve never been this overwhelmed and in a place where my hands are literally tied. I could’ve never predicted this f—king s—t. Ever,” she said. “I have such a story to tell and I can’t tell it. It’s not the right time. … I have snot coming out of my nose and I don’t even care anymore. There’s nothing I can do except wait to tell my side of the story. And the feeling of just not knowing and then these huge things being alleged — the feeling of having to defend yourself — it’s just a lonely, lonely place to be.”

 In a confessional, she opened up about how her friendships had fallen apart following the allegations, claiming, “Wanna know who your friends are? Go broke. Wanna know who your friends are? Go to jail. Wanna know who your friends are? Ask them to help you bury your body, I don’t know. You’ll find out who’s there for you.”

Credit: YouTube

For Tom’s Sake

On her walk with Kyle, Erika mentioned that — despite everything — she hopes someone is there for Tom.

 “He’s not good,” she said of her estranged husband, noting that she hadn’t spoken to the former attorney since “the day that [she left]” him. “Tom is a proud man. One of the reasons I filed for divorce was the resistance to anything. The resistance to a conversation. The resistance to, ‘Hey, I’ve noticed that you can’t see well.’ …  You can’t see. You can’t hear. You’re f—king degrading in front of me and you’re ignoring it.”

Later, she told Kyle that it was “torture” to see him “melt.”

Credit: Gregory Pace/Shutterstock

Supportive ... to a Point

“I can’t believe I’m f—king gonna say this. As much as Tom encouraged me, I think he resented me every step I took forward. Around the time of Chicago, Tom’s view of me had changed. He was like, ‘Who the f—k do you think you are.’ And I was like, ‘What are you talking about? You gave me the ball and I ran into the endzone with it,’” the Bravolebrity said in a confessional. “He’s not an angel. People don’t know that. They see this husband who’s campaigning for his wife and she’s so great, but at home … it wasn’t that great. I didn’t tell anybody because I didn’t think anybody would understand. Because from the outside it looks one way. I’d go to hug him he wouldn’t hug me back. It was another life happening. The outside saw a lot of support, but on the inside there was a lot of conflict.”

Earlier, she noted that she didn't know what she could’ve done differently in the relationship. “I kept asking. And I was continuously shut out,” Erika said. “I [pleaded], I begged, I tried. I pushed as hard as I could until I couldn’t push anymore.” 

Turning to the camera, she recalled, “Two years ago, when I was named in a lawsuit in Arizona, I was like ‘I didn’t do anything.’ When I went home and I was like, ‘What is this?,’ he said, ‘Just bulls—t. Don’t worry about it.’ When I pressed further? ‘I don’t want to talk about it.’ I know how mean and how viscous and how utterly dismissive Tom is. Tom wins. You lose. The end. That’s the way it’s always been.”