Erika Jayne’s estranged husband Tom Girardi attempts to block her spousal support request and asks RHOBH star to pay his attorney fees amid divorce
- Jayne, 49, filed for divorce on November 2, citing ‘irreconcilable differences’ and stating that she intended to request spousal support
- In Girardi’s response dated November 25, the high-powered attorney asked to terminate the court’s ability to award spousal support to Jayne
- The 81-year-old also asked for Jayne to pay his legal fees
- In her initial filing Jayne also asked the judge to bar Girardi from seeking spousal support from her
- The duo, who were married for 21 years, do not have a prenup
- It comes days after it was revealed that the duo are being accused of embezzling money from a fund meant for bereaved families of the 2018 Lion Air disaster
- In a lawsuit filed on December 2, Jayne and Girardi are accused of a ‘sham’ divorce as a ploy to protect their assets from debt collectors
Erika Jayne’s estranged husband Tom Girardi has responded to her November 2 divorce filing.
Jayne, 49, filed for divorce from the 81-year-old attorney after 21 years of marriage citing ‘irreconcilable differences’ and stated that she would request spousal support, as well as her legal fees to be paid by her ex.
In Girardi’s response dated November 25, he requested to terminate the court’s ability to award spousal support, Us Weekly reports.
No prenup: Erika Jayne’s estranged husband Tom Girardi has responded to her November 2 divorce filing, and asked to terminate the court’s ability to award spousal support to his ex
He is also asking for the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star to pay his legal fees.
In her initial filing Jayne had also asked the judge to bar Girardi from seeking spousal support from her.
The couple did not have a prenuptial agreement when they married in 1999.
‘After much consideration, I have decided to end my marriage to Tom Girardi,’ the singer told E!News on November 3.
‘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.
‘It is my absolute wish to proceed through this process with respect and with the privacy that both Tom and I deserved,’ she added. ‘I request others give us that privacy as well.’
Court: Girardi, 81, is also asking for the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star to pay his legal fees
No support: In her initial filing Jayne had also asked the judge to bar Girardi from seeking spousal support from her
The pair were married in 1999, after meeting while Jayne was serving cocktails at Chasen’s in West Hollywood, where Tom was a frequent patron.
‘After a year of working in the restaurant, one night I decided to slip Tom my telephone number,’ Erika wrote in her 2018 memoir.
In 2017, Erika told Andy Cohen she and Tom did not draw up a prenuptial agreement before their marriage.
‘Let me tell you something, let me be very clear. I’m married to a very powerful lawyer,’ she shared.
‘A prenup wouldn’t stand in his way anyway… It’s gonna be all Tom’s way, I assure you. He’ll rip that piece of paper to shreds in two seconds.’
‘After much consideration, I have decided to end my marriage to Tom Girardi,’ the singer told E!News on November 3
The duo are currently being sued for allegedly embezzling millions of dollars meant for families who lost loved ones in the 2018 Lion Air plane crash. They are also being accused of using their separation to protect themselves financially.
A class action lawsuit filed by Edelson PC on December 2 in Illinois accuses Jayne and Girardi of embezzling money meant for his law firm clients because he’s ‘on the verge of financial collapse’ and needed to finance their lavish lifestyle.
It further claims that last month’s announcement that they’re divorcing after 21 years of marriage is an act to protect their money from debt collectors.
‘At the heart of this deception is Defendant Girardi and his need to fund outrageous lifestyles for himself and his soon-to-be ex-wife, Erika Jayne,’ the complaint, obtained by DailyMail.com, says.
Longtime partnership: The pair were married in 1999, after meeting while Jayne was serving cocktails at Chasen’s in West Hollywood, where Tom was a frequent patron
Legal woes: The duo (pictured 2017) are currently being sued for allegedly embezzling millions of dollars meant for families who lost loved ones in the 2018 Lion Air plane crash
While Jayne and Girardi have yet to publicly address the lawsuit, she tweeted the day of the lawsuit, ‘High drama’ alongside a glamorous photo of herself.
The lawsuit says that Tom and his law firm Girardi Keese ‘are on the verge of financial collapse and locked in a downward spiral of mounting debts and dwindling funds’, and allegedly owe tens of millions of dollars to clients, co-counsel, and others.
The suit claims that due to the financial turmoil Tom allegedly resorted to embezzling money intended for his clients.
The suit goes further to claim that Erika’s filing for divorce is a sham to protect the money they have left.
Earlier this year, Jayne had spoken favorably about the marriage and how they were coping in quarantine together.
History: The pair were married in 1999. The couple seen here with Jayne’s son Tommy Zizzo
‘Tom and I spend a lot of time at the kitchen table chatting. We go to bed early, which is I know kind of lame, but kind of nice,’ Jayne told Jenny McCarthy on her SiriusXM in April this year.
‘We’ve been married for 20 years, of course we get on each other’s nerves. But lately, we’ve been OK, I mean it’s fun.’
‘Maybe it’s because we’ve had a four-month break (when I was in NYC on Broadway), but so far so good. I mean, we haven’t been ready to kill each other.’
Jayne has often bemoaned being asked about her sex life with her much older husband, though she has often addressed their age difference.
Writing in her book Pretty Mess, she said: ‘Tom is 33 years older than me. It was always a bigger deal to everyone else than it was to either of us. All a couple really needs is to have the same life philosophy. If you see things the same way, then age, race, religion – none of that comes into play.’
She added: ‘I have a thirst for knowledge and Tom has a wealth of it. He is a great mentor, a great teacher and somebody I really admire… That kind of stuff is a powerful aphrodisiac.’
Love affair: Despite their age difference, Erika had previously talked of her admiration for Tom
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