Erika Jayne has been dismissed from an embezzlement lawsuit
The 'Real Housewives' star and her estranged husband, Tom Girardi, were sued in December 2020 on behalf of several families who had lost loved ones in the October 2018 Lion Air Flight 610 crash, with the group accusing the 82-year-old former attorney of taking their settlement money to pay off loans to keep his law firm afloat and to fund a lavish lifestyle with the 50-year-old singer-and-actress.
3 February 2022
However, Erika Jayne is no longer part of the Illinois lawsuit.
Court documents filed last week stated: "Pursuant to stipulation, plaintiff's claims against defendants EJ Global LLC and Erika Girardi are dismissed without prejudice and without costs."
The documents will be refiled in California by the plaintiff, Edelson PC, but Erika's legal team hailed the dismissal as an "extremely important" move.
Her attorney, Evan Borges, told E! News in a statement: "While Edelson retains the right to re-fie in California, the dismissal of Erika from the federal lawsuit that triggered bankruptcies of Girardi Keese and Tom Girardi is extremely important.
"For example, the recent three-day evidentiary hearing in the Boeing case showed that Erika had ZERO role in what GK and Edelson discussed, did, and didn't do, whether as between each other or as to their clients. In fact, I'm informed Erika's name didn't even come up at the hearing.
"I'd like to see Edelson and everyone else take the high road going forward and not make accusations against Erika without evidence. We want Edelson to get the most complete picture of the evidence as possible, and have no issue with further investigation. But the truth matters. Here, the truth is that Erika had no role in the Lion Air dealings, actions, or inaction as between the attorneys and their clients, and she never received any of the Lion Air client settlement funds."
A month before the lawsuit was filed, Erika filed for divorce from Tom after 21 years of marriage.
In the 'Real Housewives of Beverly Hills' reunion last October, the 'Crazy' singer insisted she hadn't tried to portray herself as a victim.
She told her castmates: "I have never said that I'm the victim. I am not a victim. I am simply surviving this. There is a very limited way in which I can express myself, because we all know everything will be picked apart, parsed and possibly turned against me.
"That is why you see me answer in certain ways.
"It is best in any of these situations to be quiet. What did I do? I chose to say as much as I possibly could, and I still may have f***** myself up, alright?"
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