Erika Jayne’s Costars Debate What She Knew About Tom Girardi’s Alleged Crimes

Credit: John Tsiavis/Bravo

Erika Jayne’s Costars Debate What She Knew About Tom Girardi's Alleged Crimes

As more information comes out about Erika Jayne and Tom Girardi’s legal woes, the cast of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills is starting to question what their costar knew about the situation. The ladies had their most candid conversation yet on the Wednesday, August 11, episode after reading a Los Angeles Times article titled “The legal titan and the ‘Real Housewife’: The rise and fall of Tom Girardi and Erika Jayne,” which was published in December 2020. “They used the word Ponzi scheme,” Sutton Stracke told Lisa Rinna and Kyle Richards. “That’s taking from Peter to pay Paul,” Kyle exclaimed. “Is someone going to jail?” Sutton responded, “If he’s found guilty, yeah, he’s going to jail. … It screams [Bernie] Madoff.” The designer added that “if Erika’s business is under her name and was accepting these funds, that’s trouble.” While Tom has been accused of giving Erika’s companies $20 million over the years, the Bravo star hasn’t been charged with any crimes. The former lawyer, meanwhile, told the court in December 2020 that he doesn’t have “any money” left. The pair, who split in November 2020, were accused of embezzling settlement funds intended for the victims of families killed in Lion Air Flight 610 in a class action lawsuit filed one month after she took legal action to end their marriage. [jwplayer LjRrP9GE-l3ahXupL] “Is that money gone, spent, frozen?” Kyle asked. “What is the situation with that? While Lisa replied, “We don’t know that,” Sutton noted, “I think it’s gone.” Kyle concluded, “Well, then she’s f—ked.” After Dorit Kemsley and Kathy Hilton joined the conversation, the women discussed whether they think Erika knew about Tom’s alleged actions. “This article is implying that Erika was complicit and knew everything,” Kyle told her costars, which prompted Sutton to ask how you “have a business and not know” where the money is coming from. Lisa, meanwhile, argued, “I mean, do you think Tom Girardi comes home and says, ‘Let me talk about my day and let me tell you about what cases I’m working on and oh, by the way, I borrowed over here and I’m in a little bit of trouble.’ Like, that ain’t happening.” During her confessional, the Melrose Place actress added, “I wouldn’t think Erika knows anything that goes on and Tom would just say, ‘Sweetie, I’m in charge.’ Do you know how many times Harry [Hamlin] has put a contract on the kitchen table and said, ‘Sign this.’ I sign everything he asks me to sign. Listen, if you’ve been married for a while, you’re fine with it.” The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills airs on Bravo Wednesdays at 8 p.m. ET. Scroll through for more from this week’s episode:

Credit: John Tsiavis/Bravo

Erika Jayne’s Costars Debate What She Knew About Tom Girardi's Alleged Crimes

As more information comes out about Erika Jayne and Tom Girardi’s legal woes, the cast of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills is starting to question what their costar knew about the situation. The ladies had their most candid conversation yet on the Wednesday, August 11, episode after reading a Los Angeles Times article titled “The legal titan and the ‘Real Housewife’: The rise and fall of Tom Girardi and Erika Jayne,” which was published in December 2020. “They used the word Ponzi scheme,” Sutton Stracke told Lisa Rinna and Kyle Richards. “That’s taking from Peter to pay Paul,” Kyle exclaimed. “Is someone going to jail?” Sutton responded, “If he’s found guilty, yeah, he’s going to jail. … It screams [Bernie] Madoff.” The designer added that “if Erika’s business is under her name and was accepting these funds, that’s trouble.” While Tom has been accused of giving Erika’s companies $20 million over the years, the Bravo star hasn’t been charged with any crimes. The former lawyer, meanwhile, told the court in December 2020 that he doesn’t have “any money” left. The pair, who split in November 2020, were accused of embezzling settlement funds intended for the victims of families killed in Lion Air Flight 610 in a class action lawsuit filed one month after she took legal action to end their marriage. [jwplayer LjRrP9GE-l3ahXupL] “Is that money gone, spent, frozen?” Kyle asked. “What is the situation with that? While Lisa replied, “We don’t know that,” Sutton noted, “I think it’s gone.” Kyle concluded, “Well, then she’s f—ked.” After Dorit Kemsley and Kathy Hilton joined the conversation, the women discussed whether they think Erika knew about Tom’s alleged actions. “This article is implying that Erika was complicit and knew everything,” Kyle told her costars, which prompted Sutton to ask how you “have a business and not know” where the money is coming from. Lisa, meanwhile, argued, “I mean, do you think Tom Girardi comes home and says, ‘Let me talk about my day and let me tell you about what cases I’m working on and oh, by the way, I borrowed over here and I’m in a little bit of trouble.’ Like, that ain’t happening.” During her confessional, the Melrose Place actress added, “I wouldn’t think Erika knows anything that goes on and Tom would just say, ‘Sweetie, I’m in charge.’ Do you know how many times Harry [Hamlin] has put a contract on the kitchen table and said, ‘Sign this.’ I sign everything he asks me to sign. Listen, if you’ve been married for a while, you’re fine with it.” The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills airs on Bravo Wednesdays at 8 p.m. ET. Scroll through for more from this week’s episode:

Credit: John Tsiavis/Bravo

What Erika Knew

“Maybe she didn’t know, but if her name is on that LLC, she is responsible for that LLC. She is responsible for where the money comes from,” Sutton said, adding that “she could go to jail.”

During the conversation, Dorit noted, “It’s almost as if we’ve not known her at all.”

Kyle, meanwhile, told the Bravo cameras: “With Erika sharing all of this new information with us about Tom’s accident, multiple affairs, now I’m kind of like, ‘Well, what else is going on that we don’t know and what have you been keeping from us?’”

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PK Weighs In

After acknowledging that his wife is in a “tough spot” as Erika’s friend, Dorit’s husband declared, “You can’t support these allegations unless she promises you that she didn’t know.”

In a confessional, Dorit admitted, “Something doesn’t add up.”

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Erika’s Mistress Post

The performer made headlines on December 18, 2020, when she accused Tom of cheating on her via a series of alleged screenshots. During Wednesday’s episode, Kyle said she believes Erika did it to prove her divorce is “not a hoax.” Lisa, meanwhile, told her costars that she spoke to Erika, who noted her divorce lawyer made her delete the post “right away.’”

Credit: John Tsiavis/Bravo

What’s Next for Erika With the Girls

“I think we are being placed in bad position,” Sutton told her castmates. “I think that we have heard stories that, to me, don’t add up. I left yesterday very concerned and then I started thinking and my alarms went off and red flags started flying everywhere. And I’m like, ‘What have we gotten ourselves into?’ … I have questions. I am not sure how much I want to be around my friend during this time.”

In the trailer for next week's episode, Erika is in the hot seat and she asks her costars, "Are you guys really that afraid of me?