Erika Girardi best known by her stage name, Erika Jayne, shot to reality-television stardom when she joined the series in its sixth season one-time lavish mansion she shared with her estranged husband Tom Girardi has been sold off as part of the once-respected lawyer’s involuntary bankruptcy.
The 10,277 square foot house was originally listed at $13 million and was reduced to $8 million before they had any takers. It sat on the market for almost a year, according to Radar.
The profit from the sale will be used to pay off Erika and Tom’s massive debts. Girardi & Keese has been accused of operating like a Ponzi scheme.
However, the trustee had been forced to slash the price several times over the course of several months. The asking price was lowered to $11.5 million, then down to $9.98 million and then down to $8.9 million.
The home sat on the market with no bites and many of the creditors started to show frustration in court — with one demanding the home be sold off immediately for a cash influx.
As Radar first reported, Girardi and his law firm were pushed into bankruptcy by his many creditors. Financial records showed the now-disbarred attorney ran his firm like a Ponzi scheme.
Erika has been adamant that she is innocent of wrongdoing in the legal proceedings against Tom and his firm. Recently, a court agreed with the “XXpen$ive” singer.
According to Los Angeles Magazine, Erika was dismissed as a defendant in a lawsuit by Judge Richard L. Fruin of the Los Angeles Superior Court. He ruled that Erika had no “actual knowledge” of any of the alleged breaches in the suit.
“I was completely unaware of, did not participate in and did not provide any assistance of any nature regarding any conduct or scheme by anyone – – including Girardi & Keese and Tom Girardi — with the object or goal of harming plaintiffs or depriving plaintiffs of money that plaintiffs claimed was due to them,” the 51-year-old said in a statement.
However, she is not out of trouble yet. Tom has a $4.5 million bill to the Internal Revenue Service.
The largest part of his debt is $3.3 million in taxes that he failed to pay in 2019. Tom also skipped out on $760 in 2018 and $50k in 2020.
His massive tax debt was filed by the IRS as part of the Chapter 7 bankruptcy case against him.
Erika also owes $2.2 million in unpaid taxes for 2019. The Bravo star claims that she is unable to pay this debt.
The new owners are named Jun Tao and Peng Tao. They had to testify that they have no affiliation with Tom, his law firm, or the bankruptcy trustee.
The Taos can now get comfortable in their four bedroom, nine bathroom California estate.
Sources: Los Angeles Times Magazine, Radar