KEY POINTS

  • The statements Erika Jayne made on "Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" could be used against her in court
  • A lawyer said there are "a lot of inconsistencies with the story" being told on "RHOBH" in regards to the former couple's finances
  • Jayne and Girardi were accused of faking their split to hide assets, an allegation the reality star has denied

An investigator in the bankruptcy case of Tom Girardi and his estranged wife Erika Jayne said he plans to bring up in court the "inconsistent statements" the reality star has made on "Real Housewives of Beverly Hills."

The 50-year-old “Pretty Mess” singer and Girardi, 82, are accused of embezzling settlement money intended for the victims of families killed in a 2018 plane crash.

Ronald Richards, the attorney investigating the bankruptcy case of Girardi’s law firm Girardi Keese, told Us Weekly, "There’s a lot of inconsistent statements and admissions made by the non-scripted actors that we’re putting together to use in court."

He added that his team is "going to take discovery from people that used to work for her."

The lawyer said there is no timetable for when Jayne, her former employees and her co-stars could be called in for questioning.

"There’s a lot of things we’re still trying to uncover. We are going to be deposing her (Erika) at some point, but I want to get all the documents first. What’s important right now is following the money," he added.

When Richards was asked if he was "seeing a lot of inconsistencies with the story" being told on "RHOBH" in regards to Jayne and Girardi's finances, he responded, "That’s correct."

Jayne filed for divorce from Girardi in November 2020 after 21 years of marriage. A month later, they were accused in a lawsuit of embezzling settlement money that was supposed to go to the family members of the victims of the 2018 Lion Air Flight 610 crash and faking their split as a means of facilitating the alleged embezzlement.

The Bravo star has since denied the allegations. "That lawsuit that says my divorce is a sham so I could hide assets — people want to believe that," Jayne said on the reality series earlier this month. "I mean, I could have never predicted this f—king s—t. This is the end."

However, lawyer Jay Edelson, who filed the class-action lawsuit against the former couple, alleged in June that Jayne's businesses received millions of dollars in loans from Girardi's law firm.

Richards, meanwhile, told Us Weekly that there are allegedly $25 million in receivables — "receivables on the firm’s tax return that’s directed to one of her companies, EJ Global" — listed on the firm's bankruptcy.

"There's tax returns from 2015 to 2019 actually that says $25 million in receivables … receivables doesn’t necessarily mean money. It could be value," he explained.

In response to Richards' claims, Evan C. Borges, Jayne's lawyer, said in a statement to the outlet, "Everything Erika did is legitimate. No assets are hidden. Erika is allowed to move on with her life."

Last month, Jayne asked the court to remove Richards from the case for allegedly making "false and inflammatory social media posts and public statements" suggesting that she was not participating in his investigation.

She also slammed him as a "clown a--," "low budget" lawyer on Twitter.

Addressing Jayne's recent social media activity, Richards said in a statement to Us Weekly, "It is unfortunate that there is no client control, which has resulted in more profane and tone-deaf posts which now are apparently directed at myself and my hardworking team."

"We cannot help but point out the irony that she previously complained about comments made about her," he continued. "However, now in a transparent attempt to deflect scrutiny from the source of her mass amounts of capital she is spending, she has now resorted to weaponizing her vast platform to hurl low-brow insults and mean tweets. Obviously, we will ignore them as they have no bearing on the work we are doing. We look forward to her attorney’s anticipated cooperation."

Erika Girardi
Erika Girardi, photographed at the “Sharknado: The Fourth Awakens” premiere in Las Vegas on July 31, 2016, will allow her vulnerability to shine through in Season 7, episode 14 of “Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.” Getty Images