Erika Jayne ‘relieved’ after turning in $750K diamond earrings

Erika Jayne was ordered last month to turn in a pair of $750k diamond earrings a court determined were purchased with money stolen by her estranged husband Tom Girardi.

Now a source claims to People Jayne, 50, is ‘relieved’ a decision was made on the matter. 

The insider alleges Jayne had surrendered the earrings ‘months ago’, however it was still difficult for her to relinquish them due to their ‘sentimental’ value.  

‘It wasn’t easy for [Erika] to part ways with something that was sentimental to her,’ an insider close to Real Housewives Of Beverly Hills production told the site, ‘but she knows she needed to do it and she complied.’

‘Now that the ruling has happened, she’s somewhat relieved a decision has been made and she can officially focus on moving on,’ the insider told People.

The insider adds Erika wants to move past the legal war and is ‘doing the best she can to move forward with her life.’   

Last month Judge Barry Russell said that while he did not think Jayne ‘was aware the earrings were stolen property,’ she must turn them in as they were paid for with ‘settlement funds from the trust account created for a class action handled by Thomas’ firm Girardi Keese,’ Law360 reported, according to US. 

‘It wasn’t easy for [Erika] to part ways with something that was sentimental to her,’ an insider close to Real Housewives Of Beverly Hills production told the site, ‘but she knows she needed to do it and she complied’ 

Throwback: Jayne and her now estranged husband Tom Girardi pictured on The Real Housewives Of Beverly Hills

Girardi, 83, in March 2007 purchased the jewelry for the Atlanta-born reality star with funds from a client trust account and claimed they were case-related expenditures, Us reported in February, citing court docs in the case. Girardi initially claimed that the earrings were stolen, but they were purportedly located in a safe.

Ronald Richards, a lawyer who once worked for the trustee in the case, told US that Jayne ‘had tried to argue that too much time had passed and that it was the firm’s former clients who should be making this claim, not the trustee.

‘The court rejected that argument and said the trustee can bring a turnover order for the earrings and forfeited all of Erika’s rights in the earrings.’

Richards noted that the court ‘found the firm embezzled the funds’ and that ‘the earrings were ordered property of the estate.’

Richards last month told Page Six that ‘the ruling was a major milestone in the quest to recover stolen assets by the Girardis,’ and that ‘it does not matter whether Erika knew they were stolen client funds or not.’

Judge Barry Russell said that while he did not think the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star ‘was aware the earrings were stolen property,’ she must turn them in as they were paid for with stolen funds. She was pictured in NYC in 2019 

Girardi, 83, in March 2007 purchased the jewelry for the Atlanta-born reality star with funds from a client trust account and claimed they were case-related expenditures, according to court docs. He was pictured in LA in 2018 

Jayne’s lawyer Evan Borges said that the reality star ‘did nothing wrong’ and was facing repercussions due to Girardi’s misconduct.

‘Once again, Erika is facing consequences for past actions taken by Tom Girardi and Girardi Keese,’ Borges told the outlet. ‘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.

‘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.’

Jayne filed for divorce from Girardi in November of 2020 after a 21-year marriage, shortly ahead of the filing of the initial suit. She said at the time: ‘After much consideration, I have decided to end my marriage to Tom Girardi. This is not a step taken lightly or easily. I have great love and respect for Tom and for our years and the lives we built together.’

Jayne’s lawyer Evan Borges said that the reality star ‘did nothing wrong’ and was facing repercussions due to Girardi’s misconduct. She was pictured in LA in 2021 

Jayne was originally named with her estranged spouse in the December 2020 class action lawsuit filed by Edelson PC, accusing them of fraud and embezzlement in connection with $2 million in settlement funds earmarked for victims of the 2018 Lion Air Flight 610 crash, in which all 189 people onboard died. In January, she was dismissed from the ongoing lawsuit filed against against Girardi in Illinois.

Girardi has been living in a nursing home after he was diagnosed with dementia and Alzheimer’s disease, and in July of 2021 was placed into a conservatorship by his brother Robert.

In May Jayne spoke with US about her decision to remain on the Bravo reality show.

‘This season is about really trying to pull yourself together and go on,’ she said. ‘It was tough but ultimately, I’ll get there and it’s part of the human experience. 

‘You can’t go through what I have gone through the previous season and not feel something. I wanted to have some fun and I wanted to not feel so heavy. So that’s what I did.’