Erika Jayne appeals court order to turn over diamond earrings
Erika Jayne is clutching her diamonds.
The “Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” star filed an appeal Monday in Los Angeles after a judge ordered her to turn over a pair of expensive diamond earrings gifted to her by her estranged husband, disgraced attorney Tom Girardi.
Jayne, 51, also elected to have her appeal heard by the United States District Court rather than the Bankruptcy Appellate Panel, per court documents obtained by Page Six.
In his June 28 ruling, Judge Barry Russell determined that Jayne’s earrings were purchased with “settlement funds from the trust account created for a class-action handled by Thomas’ firm Girardi Keese.”
And while Russell said he did not believe the Bravolebrity was aware that the jewels were bought with misappropriated money, he still ordered her to hand them over to the trustee presiding over the Chapter 7 bankruptcy case involving the now-defunct Girardi Keese.
Girardi, 83, bought the earrings in March 2007 for $750,000, allegedly using money from a client trust account. They are reportedly now worth $1.4 million.
“Once again, Erika is facing consequences for past actions taken by Tom Girardi and Girardi Keese. Erika did nothing wrong,” Jayne’s lawyer, Evan Borges, girardi/”told Us Weekly last month.
“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,” Borges added. “But that’s for a higher court to decide.”
After Girardi Keese was forced into bankruptcy, the court-appointed