Court Orders Erika Jayne to Return Her Diamond Earrings
Celebrity

Court Orders Erika Jayne to Return Her Diamond Earrings

Looks like Erika Jayne might be in the market for a new pair of earrings after the courts have ordered the Real Housewives star to return a $750,000 diamond pair that was purchased with ill-gotten gains.

A judge ruled that the pricey piece of jewelry was to be returned after it was determined that Jayne's estranged ex-husband Tom Girardi bought them with “settlement funds from the trust account created for a class action handled by Thomas’ firm Girardi Keese." According toLaw360, the court ultimately believed that Jayne had no idea at the time she was gifted the earrings that they were paid for with embezzled cash, but at the end of the day, that doesn't make them any less illegally obtained so they still needed to be returned.

According to Us Weekly, Girardi had previously claimed that the earrings had been stolen from their home but were later discovered in the safe. "Once again, Erika is facing consequences for past actions taken by Tom Girardi and Girardi Keese. Erika did nothing wrong,” Jayne's lawyer told the publication. “In fact, the judge specifically found no fault or knowledge on the part of Erika regarding the actions by Tom Girardi and his partners at the law firm. Tom Girardi the lawyer did this."

From a legal perspective, the ruling does set an interesting precedent, as Jayne's lawyer points out, “Legally, the judge’s decision raises an important issue of whether the law allows revisiting transactions of 15 years ago to take away a gift received by an innocent spouse. But that’s for a higher court to decide.”

The order to return the earrings come as the latest wrinkle in the long drawn out saga of Jayne and Girardi's embezzlement case. The case was brought forward after victims of the fatal Boeing 737 MAX Lion Air Flight 610 failed to receive settlement money from a class action lawsuit Girardi's firm represented them in. Jayne was initially named in the case but eventually was dismissed although she is still facing a $50 million racketeering lawsuit and $2.1 aiding and abetting lawsuit related to the case. Amidst all the questions over Girardi's finances, Jayne notably divorced the lawyer towards the beginning of the case which was called into question whether or not the timing was perhaps too convenient and could have been an attempt to move around funds.

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