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Downloaded from
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Official YIFY movies site:
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[ Tones play ]

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‐Erika Jayne I have seen
on this show

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00:00:36,389 --> 00:00:39,419
and I also worked with her
on "Watch What Happens Live"

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00:00:39,419 --> 00:00:43,119
one...one or two times.

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didn ́t get the best vibe
from her,

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but I know a lot
of fake people

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and it turns out
she ́s just one of them.

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♫♫

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‐We are back with
"The Real Housewives" star

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accused with her husband of
staging a fake divorce

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to hide money from the families
of plane crash victims.

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‐Thomas Girardi is
accused of embezzlement.

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A federal lawsuit says he took
money from a settlement fund to

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maintain their wealthy
public image.

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♫♫

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‐It had all the elements,

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Hollywood, L. A., huge cases,

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along with a "Real Housewife"

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‐It was like a movie.

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‐Tom Girardi was L. A. law,
a superstar.

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‐Legendary for winning millions
of dollars in settlements.

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‐Tom was being accused
by his own clients,

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that hired him, that trusted him
for stealing money.

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‐That ́s the worst thing a lawyer
could do.

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‐He had private jets.
He had a Pasadena mansion.

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He was spending $40,000 a month
on Erika and her glam squad.

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they were just blowing money
left and right, tons of money.

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♫♫

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‐He would make jokes like,
"Oh, nobody would be

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more expensive than Erika."

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And then out came her song,
"I ́m Expensive."

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‐♫ Ching!
It ́s expensive to be me ♫

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♫ Eh, eh, eh, eh‐eh‐eh ♫

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♫ Eh, eh, eh ♫

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♫ Looking this good
don ́t come for free ♫

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‐Like, yeah, big surprise.
‐Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa!

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‐She said,
"I have two personalities

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like Mrs. Girardi
and I ́m Erika Jayne

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it ́s built on
I am the third wife,

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I have the money,
I spend the money.

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This man is going to
give me the money

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because I ́m that fantastic
and that ́s that."

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♫♫

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‐It bothered me a little bit,

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seeing them live this
extravagant lifestyle.

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It often that made me wonder,
like I wonder if some of that

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money ́s mine.
‐Out of the $135,000 settlement

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I haven ́t received anything.
Not a penny.

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‐This is Tom Girardi, don ́t be
mad at me. It ́s not my fault.

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♫♫

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‐So, Tom Girardi
owed you $12 million?

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‐Yes. Yes.

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‐It ́s like, wow.
Like broke, like broke, broke?

56
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You know, like but not the
client ́s money, right?

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‐I think the biggest question
that everybody has is,

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"Did she know?"
‐Any of the lawsuits

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hike, did you have a heads up?
Is that why you got divorced?

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‐No, I did not.

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‐He was taking money
in some cases it ́s been alleged

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and investing it
into Erika ́s business,

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into her career.
And the allegations

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are that that money
was coming from clients.

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‐People love a good scandal.

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♫♫

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‐I had to be a double agent
for my friend.

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I always try to tell people,

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never underestimate
the love of a mother.

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You want to find something out?
I mean, don ́t call the FBI,

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call a mom.

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‐Girardi said we were his
favorite clients.

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And I definitely never wanted
to be his favorite client.

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But I definitely want to be
the client he never forgets.

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♫♫

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‐I don ́t think he saw it, yeah.

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‐Could you imagine

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living your life
without this kind of wealth?

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‐Yeah, I could.
I wouldn ́t want to, but I can.

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Sure. I could do it.
Yeah.

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‐Mm‐hmm.
What would that look like?

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‐Smaller. I don ́t know. I don ́t
know, you know. Less clothes.

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‐You would hate it.
‐I wouldn ́t.

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I‐I‐I don ́t
look forward to that, no.

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No, I do not.
‐You don ́t have to

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look forward to it.
‐No, I would not look forward

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to something like that, no.

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‐Erika!
‐Erika, right here!

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‐I reached out to her right at
the beginning, I was like,

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"Would you please come on
my podcast?"

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Made it clear
it was not being filmed,

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but she arrived
with the hair guy,

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a wardrobe person,
and I think a makeup person.

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And I remember thinking that,
"Wow, that ́s a $2,000 day

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to come do my
audio‐only podcast." [ Laughs ]

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‐Jesus, Marco. [Bleep]
‐She wasn ́t afraid of her body,

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her sensuality.
‐There ́s your girl.

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‐There she is.
‐And I liked that,

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even though she really
can ́t hold a tune, she sang.

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‐♫ I ́m a temptress ♫
‐Wow!

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‐♫ I ́m your mistress ♫

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‐And she entertained,
she was entertaining.

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‐♫ I ́m your weakness ♫

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‐I think what intrigued people

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on "The Real Housewives
of Beverly Hills" franchise

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was that they seemed to be
this incredible power couple.

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She ́s hot and beautiful
and confident.

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And then Tom Girardi
is this rock star attorney

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who fights for the little guy,

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makes hundreds
of millions of dollars.

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‐♫ Blame it on the money ♫

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♫ Blame it on the money ♫

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♫♫

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‐Tom Girardi was L. A. law.

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He is Mr. Lawyer.
‐A superstar.

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‐An icon.
‐Bad‐ass trial lawyer.

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‐We ́re just talking the money
that we ́re really going to get.

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And that ́s $15 million.

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‐♫ I ́m a man
without conviction ♫

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‐If you had
a case that had the potential

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to resolve itself

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or be resolved for millions
and millions of dollars,

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his was the kind of firm
that you wanted to go to.

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He didn ́t just represent
LA ́s elite,

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he represented
a lot of average folks, too.

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♫ Karma, karma, karma, karma,
karma chameleon ♫

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♫ You come and go,
you come and go ♫

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‐When I became a lawyer
over 30 years ago,

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I knew who Tom Girardi
was from day one.

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‐♫ Red, gold, and green,
red, gold, and green ♫

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‐And then, of course,
the case came along,

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which a lot of people refer
to as the Brockovich case,

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where he sued PG&E.

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‐PG&E has requested that we
submit the binding arbitration.

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‐What ́s that?

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‐Tom Girardi was depicted in
the Erin Brockovich movie.

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But in real life,
he ́s the actual attorney

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who closed the deal
that at the time

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was the largest settlement
of its kind.

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‐Good evening
and welcome to "Prime Time."

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This is a story
you have never heard before.

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A story about family
and neighbors.

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The country ́s largest public
utility and broken trust.

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‐We ́ve represented people
against Exxon.

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We ́ve represented people
against Dow.

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This is a million times worse.

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‐A million times worse?
‐That ́s right.

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They let these innocent people
drink water,

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which was laced with chromium,
day in and day out.

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It ́s as bad as it gets.
‐He was famous for that.

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And people knew that
he was famous for that.

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But he was famous
before I became a lawyer.

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He was famous before many people

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who are lawyers today
were even born.

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♫♫

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‐Erika was born in 1971
to a music teacher in Georgia.

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Her dad left when she was only
one years old

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and she always wanted to be
in the entertainment industry.

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♫♫

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When she was 18,
she moved to New York

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to try to get a career going.

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She ended up working at a very
famous go‐go/strip club.

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‐Was a go‐go dancer at Shakers,
a bar in New Jersey.

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‐Erika and I worked
at the same strip club.

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Shakers is in Lodi, New Jersey,
and it is one of the clubs

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next to the Bada Bing Club,
which was on "The Sopranos."

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<i>‐Buonanima.
‐Buonanima.</i>

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‐A lot of girls have been
wheeled through there.

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I was just one of them
and one of many.

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‐She was someone who wanted
a different life for herself

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and then eventually
made her way to L. A.

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and was a waitress
and met a very wealthy,

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much older man
that she connected with.

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And I mean,
that ́s kind of the L. A. dream.

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‐They got married very off the
cuff at a country club.

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‐As the story goes,
Tom Girardi asked the judge

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if a judge would officiate over
a marriage ceremony with Erika.

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They pulled an attorney
from the bar as a witness.

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They got married on the spot
and there was no prenup.

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♫♫

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‐Tom had a law firm,
Girardi Keese.

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The pay was good,
but the perks were great.

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00:10:01,849 --> 00:10:05,149
‐It was just extra. [ Laughs ]

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00:10:05,149 --> 00:10:07,489
It was normal
to stay at the Ritz‐Carlton.

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00:10:07,489 --> 00:10:10,749
The Christmas party
was at The Jonathan Club.

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Every year you have someone
like LeAnn Rimes

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come and sing Christmas carols
to your 300 closest friends.

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‐♫ Merry Christmas ♫

189
00:10:18,649 --> 00:10:20,549
♫ On, on they send,
on without end ♫

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00:10:20,549 --> 00:10:22,619
♫ Their joyful tone,
to ev ́ry home ♫

191
00:10:22,619 --> 00:10:24,689
♫ Ding, dong, ding, dong ♫

192
00:10:24,689 --> 00:10:27,719
‐There ́s an annual conference
in Las Vegas.

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00:10:27,719 --> 00:10:30,619
He would host a dinner, and that
was the hottest ticket in town.

194
00:10:30,619 --> 00:10:33,889
‐There was Jay Leno performing.

195
00:10:33,889 --> 00:10:36,949
Erin Brockovich
was at the table.

196
00:10:36,949 --> 00:10:38,849
‐I remember one time
I was with Tom

197
00:10:38,849 --> 00:10:42,789
and he actually points
to a judge across the room

198
00:10:42,789 --> 00:10:45,219
and actually goes like this.

199
00:10:45,219 --> 00:10:48,249
And this judge ran up to him
like a puppy dog.

200
00:10:48,249 --> 00:10:51,949
I saw the power that he could
wield right then and there.

201
00:10:51,949 --> 00:10:56,049
‐He was the man that people went
to who wanted to get appointed

202
00:10:56,049 --> 00:10:58,249
to the bench and become judges.

203
00:10:58,249 --> 00:11:01,189
He was the person that people
who wanted to run

204
00:11:01,189 --> 00:11:04,849
for public office
would go and meet and talk to.

205
00:11:04,849 --> 00:11:08,289
‐You have some ties
to Erika Jayne.

206
00:11:08,289 --> 00:11:09,689
‐That ́s right.
‐Right?

207
00:11:09,689 --> 00:11:11,719
‐Well, I mean, indirect ties
in political ties.

208
00:11:11,719 --> 00:11:12,989
‐Right.
‐Because her husband ́s

209
00:11:12,989 --> 00:11:15,889
one of the major donors
in California politics.

210
00:11:15,889 --> 00:11:17,919
‐Wow.
And does he give to you?

211
00:11:17,919 --> 00:11:19,449
‐He has been
extraordinarily generous to me.

212
00:11:19,449 --> 00:11:21,719
‐Nice!
‐So she is my favorite

213
00:11:21,719 --> 00:11:22,949
"Real Housewife."

214
00:11:25,249 --> 00:11:28,489
‐So Erika Girardi,
after being a Housewife

215
00:11:28,489 --> 00:11:32,289
for years to Tom Girardi,
goes to Tom Girardi and says,

216
00:11:32,289 --> 00:11:35,589
"I really want to have a music
career and be an entertainer."

217
00:11:35,589 --> 00:11:38,089
‐♫ Rah, ruffle up my feathers ♫

218
00:11:38,089 --> 00:11:40,019
♫ Strip it and shake it better ♫

219
00:11:40,019 --> 00:11:41,719
♫ Take a dirty picture ♫

220
00:11:41,719 --> 00:11:46,119
‐And she asked him,
more importantly, to finance it.

221
00:11:46,119 --> 00:11:48,719
‐I think he kind of loved
that he had this very sexy,

222
00:11:48,719 --> 00:11:51,749
young, burgeoning pop star wife.

223
00:11:51,749 --> 00:11:56,319
He put a lot of money, you know,
into making her Erika Jayne.

224
00:11:56,319 --> 00:11:58,849
[ Cheers and applause ]

225
00:11:58,849 --> 00:12:01,319
‐I mean, the titles of her songs
and stuff are now

226
00:12:01,319 --> 00:12:04,789
just like,
"It ́s Expensive to Be Me"

227
00:12:04,789 --> 00:12:08,219
and "I Give Zero F ́s"
and everything.

228
00:12:08,219 --> 00:12:10,089
‐♫ None, not one ♫

229
00:12:10,089 --> 00:12:12,089
♫ Zero, zero, zero ♫

230
00:12:12,089 --> 00:12:14,049
♫ Done ♫

231
00:12:14,049 --> 00:12:17,189
‐Erica says there was no return
on investments.

232
00:12:17,189 --> 00:12:19,219
So Tom Girardi was probably

233
00:12:19,219 --> 00:12:21,919
going to have her throw
in the towel,

234
00:12:21,919 --> 00:12:25,419
but then all of a sudden
she gets cast on

235
00:12:25,419 --> 00:12:28,549
"The Real Housewives
of Beverly Hills."

236
00:12:28,549 --> 00:12:31,819
‐I ́m an enigma wrapped in
a riddle and cash.

237
00:12:31,819 --> 00:12:33,749
‐She was very good casting.

238
00:12:33,749 --> 00:12:35,619
She was probably the best
since me.

239
00:12:35,619 --> 00:12:38,689
‐Being broke sucks and being
rich is a lot better.

240
00:12:38,689 --> 00:12:41,449
‐They wanted girls that could
get in there and entertain,

241
00:12:41,449 --> 00:12:44,049
but yet hold their own.
‐The wealth that we get to see

242
00:12:44,049 --> 00:12:46,149
Erika Girardi have on the show

243
00:12:46,149 --> 00:12:49,849
is almost difficult
to wrap your brain around.

244
00:12:49,849 --> 00:12:51,949
‐She leveled up
the whole "Housewife" game

245
00:12:51,949 --> 00:12:54,149
when she got on "Beverly Hills."

246
00:12:54,149 --> 00:13:03,049
♫♫

247
00:13:03,049 --> 00:13:05,449
‐I ́m going to give
you a little tour of the house.

248
00:13:05,449 --> 00:13:09,619
♫♫

249
00:13:09,619 --> 00:13:12,749
‐I will take you down to the
fun part of the house,

250
00:13:12,749 --> 00:13:14,989
which is my closet.
‐Oh, I love it.

251
00:13:14,989 --> 00:13:17,649
‐It ́s expensive.
So, come in here.

252
00:13:17,649 --> 00:13:19,719
‐Oh, my God.
‐It ́s kind of a mess.

253
00:13:19,719 --> 00:13:21,319
But you can come in here.
‐Oh, my God.

254
00:13:21,319 --> 00:13:23,489
Oh, yeah, It ́s a mess.
It ́s a mess.

255
00:13:23,489 --> 00:13:27,619
‐It ́s a mess.
But it ́s a it ́s a good one.

256
00:13:27,619 --> 00:13:29,049
‐It made me think that I
probably should ́ve

257
00:13:29,049 --> 00:13:30,389
gone to law school.

258
00:13:30,389 --> 00:13:33,189
I didn ́t know that you
could attain that much wealth

259
00:13:33,189 --> 00:13:35,419
by being a trial attorney.

260
00:13:38,389 --> 00:13:43,889
‐So this is supposed to be
reality, "reality" television,

261
00:13:43,889 --> 00:13:46,249
but is it really a reality?

262
00:13:46,249 --> 00:13:50,319
Are we really seeing
what ́s going on? Probably not.

263
00:13:50,319 --> 00:13:51,749
‐Erika!
‐Erika!

264
00:13:51,749 --> 00:13:55,089
‐And this facade starts
crumbling

265
00:13:55,089 --> 00:13:58,589
when Erika Jayne files
for divorce in 2020.

266
00:13:58,589 --> 00:14:02,389
We now start to learn
what is really going on there.

267
00:14:02,389 --> 00:14:06,749
♫♫

268
00:14:13,319 --> 00:14:19,049
♫♫

269
00:14:19,049 --> 00:14:20,649
‐There is a huge amount
of pressure

270
00:14:20,649 --> 00:14:22,649
to maintain the lifestyle

271
00:14:22,649 --> 00:14:24,449
on the "Real Housewives
of Beverly Hills."

272
00:14:24,449 --> 00:14:26,349
‐Uh, did, you know? $25,000.

273
00:14:26,349 --> 00:14:28,119
‐If you don ́t want to look
like a loser with,

274
00:14:28,119 --> 00:14:30,689
like a loser event,
for example, you know,

275
00:14:30,689 --> 00:14:33,149
I might be
launching like a shoe line

276
00:14:33,149 --> 00:14:35,449
and I was going to do
a $10,000 party.

277
00:14:35,449 --> 00:14:39,089
But now that I know it ́s on TV,
I ́m like, "Uh‐oh,

278
00:14:39,089 --> 00:14:41,289
I better make it $100,000 party

279
00:14:41,289 --> 00:14:44,189
because I don ́t want to look
like my shoe isn ́t great."

280
00:14:44,189 --> 00:14:46,449
So then the number goes up.

281
00:14:46,449 --> 00:14:49,689
‐It ́s all about keeping up with
the Joneses or in this case,

282
00:14:49,689 --> 00:14:54,349
the Leakes or the Candies
or the Kenyas or the Terrace ́s

283
00:14:54,349 --> 00:14:57,019
or the Vickies
or the Tamras.

284
00:14:57,019 --> 00:15:00,289
[ Chatter ]

285
00:15:00,289 --> 00:15:04,419
‐The ladies ladies, [Chuckles]
ladies I use loosely.

286
00:15:04,419 --> 00:15:08,489
They had a tendency to always
and still do

287
00:15:08,489 --> 00:15:10,519
want well beyond their means.

288
00:15:10,519 --> 00:15:12,749
‐There ́s a duality that will
take place on this show

289
00:15:12,749 --> 00:15:15,619
because at one hand
it is aspirational,

290
00:15:15,619 --> 00:15:17,889
or it feels to be aspirational,

291
00:15:17,889 --> 00:15:19,589
but on the other hand,
you see that wealth does

292
00:15:19,589 --> 00:15:21,589
not solve, really,
any of these women ́s problems.

293
00:15:27,589 --> 00:15:30,119
There is a specific category
of housewives

294
00:15:30,119 --> 00:15:36,519
that fall into this echelon of
"housewives with legal issues."

295
00:15:36,519 --> 00:15:38,789
‐Real trouble.
‐The charges she ́s facing

296
00:15:38,789 --> 00:15:41,219
are serious.
‐Appearing to serve a 15 month

297
00:15:41,219 --> 00:15:42,819
sentence for fraud.

298
00:15:42,819 --> 00:15:45,389
‐You ́ve got sort of
a patron saint of this category

299
00:15:45,389 --> 00:15:50,949
is Teresa Giudice who famously,
you know, committed wire fraud

300
00:15:50,949 --> 00:15:52,749
with her husband
and went to jail.

301
00:15:52,749 --> 00:15:56,389
And the whole entire thing
was sort of filmed on this show.

302
00:16:00,689 --> 00:16:05,549
‐Luann kicked a police officer,
and Jen Shah from Utah,

303
00:16:05,549 --> 00:16:07,819
is accused of running
a telemarketing scheme.

304
00:16:07,819 --> 00:16:10,719
‐Charged with conspiracy
to commit wire fraud and

305
00:16:10,719 --> 00:16:12,619
money laundering,
pleading not guilty.

306
00:16:12,619 --> 00:16:16,249
‐And what is so interesting
is every time one of these women

307
00:16:16,249 --> 00:16:20,419
is caught up in some type
of legal situation,

308
00:16:20,419 --> 00:16:22,419
the first thing that all of us
think is,

309
00:16:22,419 --> 00:16:26,419
"My God, I hope the cameras
are rolling."

310
00:16:26,419 --> 00:16:28,749
‐What ́s it like to have cameras
in your house all the time?

311
00:16:28,749 --> 00:16:30,489
‐It ́s really bad.
‐Do you ever get used to it?

312
00:16:30,489 --> 00:16:31,619
‐No.
‐No. Oh, my gosh.

313
00:16:31,619 --> 00:16:33,389
‐But nobody gets used to it.

314
00:16:33,389 --> 00:16:35,489
‐I ́m always asking
this one for advice.

315
00:16:35,489 --> 00:16:37,689
I ́m always asking this one,
"What should I do?"

316
00:16:37,689 --> 00:16:40,419
How do I handle it?
What what? What do I do?

317
00:16:40,419 --> 00:16:45,289
And that ́s, you know, that ́s the
truth. This is my leader.

318
00:16:45,289 --> 00:16:48,889
‐How do you like being on camera
for "Real Housewives"?

319
00:16:48,889 --> 00:16:51,919
‐I prefer to be
in a courtroom someplace.

320
00:16:51,919 --> 00:16:54,189
‐There you go.
[ Laughter ]

321
00:16:54,189 --> 00:16:56,019
‐I recall watching
a couple episodes

322
00:16:56,019 --> 00:16:57,219
and I just shook my head

323
00:16:57,219 --> 00:17:01,689
because there was talk in there
about Tom ́s age.

324
00:17:01,689 --> 00:17:03,189
There was talk in there,
I believe,

325
00:17:03,189 --> 00:17:05,719
about his sexual prowess
at his age.

326
00:17:05,719 --> 00:17:08,919
‐And what ́s he like
in the sack?

327
00:17:08,919 --> 00:17:12,919
‐My wife turned to it one day,
some months ago,

328
00:17:12,919 --> 00:17:15,589
and and he was on the show
and she said,

329
00:17:15,589 --> 00:17:16,849
"Don ́t you know him?"

330
00:17:16,849 --> 00:17:21,019
‐I decided to give you something
to put on your eyes.

331
00:17:21,019 --> 00:17:22,949
‐I was more than
a little bit surprised.

332
00:17:22,949 --> 00:17:24,449
Surprise to see him there.

333
00:17:24,449 --> 00:17:27,549
‐Here ́s a painting
by Marc Chagall.

334
00:17:27,549 --> 00:17:30,089
‐Chagall is one
of Tom ́s favorite painters.

335
00:17:30,089 --> 00:17:31,549
‐Is this it?

336
00:17:31,549 --> 00:17:34,219
‐And his paintings can go for
over a million dollars easily.

337
00:17:34,219 --> 00:17:36,719
‐Oh, wow.
Tom, this is Beautiful.

338
00:17:36,719 --> 00:17:39,819
‐Probably most appalling
was the talk about the fact

339
00:17:39,819 --> 00:17:41,349
that they had two airplanes.

340
00:17:41,349 --> 00:17:42,849
‐We have two airplanes
in the family.

341
00:17:42,849 --> 00:17:45,389
So, you know, the little one
is more regional

342
00:17:45,389 --> 00:17:47,489
and the larger one
is cross country and Europe.

343
00:17:47,489 --> 00:17:51,949
‐And that ́s, I think,
crossing the line in what we do.

344
00:17:51,949 --> 00:17:57,849
We represent people who are
victimized by big corporations

345
00:17:57,849 --> 00:17:59,819
and, and rich people.

346
00:17:59,819 --> 00:18:04,049
And here you ́re putting that out
that you ́re super wealthy

347
00:18:04,049 --> 00:18:06,819
and that you ́re basically
The Man.

348
00:18:06,819 --> 00:18:09,589
We sue The Man.
You don ́t want to be The Man.

349
00:18:09,589 --> 00:18:12,719
And he ́s showing people
that he ́s The Man.

350
00:18:12,719 --> 00:18:15,719
♫♫

351
00:18:15,719 --> 00:18:20,889
‐When your money comes from
people who had cancer and burns

352
00:18:20,889 --> 00:18:22,949
and had great suffering,

353
00:18:22,949 --> 00:18:25,149
you know, there ́s
a little bit amount of decorum

354
00:18:25,149 --> 00:18:27,219
that you ́d think you ́d want
to have in the way

355
00:18:27,219 --> 00:18:29,089
you display the world.

356
00:18:29,089 --> 00:18:31,589
There ́s plenty of lawyers
that have private jets

357
00:18:31,589 --> 00:18:34,719
and beautiful homes,
but there ́s one way to do it

358
00:18:34,719 --> 00:18:39,689
and one way that ́s basically
like a middle finger to people.

359
00:18:39,689 --> 00:18:45,119
♫♫

360
00:18:45,119 --> 00:18:48,319
‐My name is Joe Ruigomez
and I ́m a survivor.

361
00:18:51,649 --> 00:18:53,719
So the first time
I met Tom Girardi,

362
00:18:53,719 --> 00:18:56,819
I had just woken up
out of my coma.

363
00:18:56,819 --> 00:18:59,719
Be honest, there ́s not a lot
I remember about meeting him.

364
00:18:59,719 --> 00:19:03,819
I have like a vague memory of
just like some guy in my room,

365
00:19:03,819 --> 00:19:06,089
like, you know, "I ́m going to do
a good job for you, kiddo."

366
00:19:06,089 --> 00:19:09,419
and he made you feel
like you can trust him

367
00:19:09,419 --> 00:19:11,549
and that he ́s that guy.

368
00:19:11,549 --> 00:19:17,489
♫♫

369
00:19:17,489 --> 00:19:19,819
‐Good morning, America,
it ́s Thursday, September 9th.

370
00:19:19,819 --> 00:19:21,389
‐We ́re going to start
with what ́s going on in

371
00:19:21,389 --> 00:19:23,019
the western areas.

372
00:19:26,149 --> 00:19:29,719
‐So... [ Sighs ]

373
00:19:29,719 --> 00:19:34,649
September 9, 2010,
felt like the longest day

374
00:19:34,649 --> 00:19:37,549
of my life.
‐Everything we did that day

375
00:19:37,549 --> 00:19:41,849
like kind of was a matter
of life or death.

376
00:19:41,849 --> 00:19:44,349
My son and his girlfriend,
Jessica Morales,

377
00:19:44,349 --> 00:19:46,649
were going to sit on the couch
and watch the game.

378
00:19:46,649 --> 00:19:49,689
‐Off we go at the goal line.

379
00:19:49,689 --> 00:19:52,919
[ Distant,
distorted speaking echoes ]

380
00:19:52,919 --> 00:19:57,119
‐It was going to be opening day
of the NFL season that day.

381
00:19:57,119 --> 00:20:01,289
And my living room
is probably right about here.

382
00:20:01,289 --> 00:20:03,419
And then out of nowhere,

383
00:20:03,419 --> 00:20:06,719
the ground
just starts rapidly shaking.

384
00:20:06,719 --> 00:20:09,219
And it sounds like there ́s a jet
engine right out front.

385
00:20:09,219 --> 00:20:11,089
[ Roaring ]

386
00:20:19,149 --> 00:20:22,719
That went on for about
3 seconds and then just boom.

387
00:20:22,719 --> 00:20:25,119
‐Breaking news tonight
in San Bruno, California,

388
00:20:25,119 --> 00:20:28,049
a towering fire
is just burning out of control.

389
00:20:28,049 --> 00:20:32,119
‐Police say a gas line
erupted into a massive fireball.

390
00:20:32,119 --> 00:20:35,489
‐Fire just came flowing
through the house.

391
00:20:35,489 --> 00:20:38,149
I couldn ́t see anything.
I was surrounded by flame,

392
00:20:38,149 --> 00:20:40,389
managed to find the door
to my backyard.

393
00:20:40,389 --> 00:20:43,219
And I remember as I was opening
up the door for a split second,

394
00:20:43,219 --> 00:20:45,119
I just remember having
my life flash in front of me

395
00:20:45,119 --> 00:20:47,189
and just thinking like,
"Alright, this is it."

396
00:20:47,189 --> 00:20:49,289
A hundred percent certainty.
I ́m dying.

397
00:20:49,289 --> 00:20:53,049
‐A scene of total devastation
home after home leveled.

398
00:20:53,049 --> 00:21:04,219
♫♫

399
00:21:04,219 --> 00:21:06,349
‐I just remember them
putting like an oxygen mask

400
00:21:06,349 --> 00:21:07,849
on my, on my face

401
00:21:07,849 --> 00:21:11,189
and within five seconds
I was out.

402
00:21:11,189 --> 00:21:14,489
‐I could remember that day
like it was yesterday.

403
00:21:14,489 --> 00:21:16,819
I was watching
Thursday Night Football

404
00:21:16,819 --> 00:21:19,549
and I received a phone call,
went to the hospital.

405
00:21:19,549 --> 00:21:23,149
And that ́s where my interactions
with Joe began.

406
00:21:25,449 --> 00:21:29,289
I had burns over 80,
90 percent of his body.

407
00:21:29,289 --> 00:21:31,819
It was little bit more than,
"Oh, my God," I was more like

408
00:21:31,819 --> 00:21:33,019
holy [Bleep]

409
00:21:33,019 --> 00:21:34,949
‐They ́re like,
"You got to get out of here."

410
00:21:34,949 --> 00:21:37,089
They look like they were
really working on him.

411
00:21:37,089 --> 00:21:39,419
‐Joe was like inside an oven.

412
00:21:39,419 --> 00:21:42,789
Not only was the external part
of the skin burned,

413
00:21:42,789 --> 00:21:46,919
but the air he was inhaling
was burning the his lungs.

414
00:21:46,919 --> 00:21:52,919
♫♫

415
00:21:52,919 --> 00:21:55,289
‐After we end up
leaving the hospital,

416
00:21:55,289 --> 00:21:57,519
me, my husband,
and his sister

417
00:21:57,519 --> 00:22:02,119
went back over
to our old neighborhood.

418
00:22:02,119 --> 00:22:05,749
You could just see, it was just,
devastated.

419
00:22:08,149 --> 00:22:10,989
It was like wondering about, you
know, "Where ́s Jessica?"

420
00:22:10,989 --> 00:22:15,219
And like went around, "People
need to look for her, find her."

421
00:22:15,219 --> 00:22:19,419
And, uh, yeah,
they ended up finding her

422
00:22:19,419 --> 00:22:20,849
a couple of days later,
I guess,

423
00:22:20,849 --> 00:22:23,449
in our neighbor ́s shed.

424
00:22:23,449 --> 00:22:25,449
She must have died in the shed.

425
00:22:25,449 --> 00:22:30,749
So, yeah, that.
yeah, it was just devastating.

426
00:22:30,749 --> 00:22:37,989
♫♫

427
00:22:37,989 --> 00:22:39,819
‐One of the last words we said
to each other was,

428
00:22:39,819 --> 00:22:44,019
"I love you," so just,
you know.

429
00:22:44,019 --> 00:22:47,749
Uh, yeah. Yeah.

430
00:22:47,749 --> 00:22:50,689
‐My first instinct was to get
my car and just go there.

431
00:22:50,689 --> 00:22:54,019
And when I got there,
Kathy was literally,

432
00:22:54,019 --> 00:22:57,889
you know, white as a ghost.

433
00:22:57,889 --> 00:22:59,519
‐She came up
and thank God she did

434
00:22:59,519 --> 00:23:01,449
and just handled so much

435
00:23:01,449 --> 00:23:04,619
so I could just keep going
to the hospital.

436
00:23:04,619 --> 00:23:07,819
‐So Kathy Ruigomez is
my childhood best friend,

437
00:23:07,819 --> 00:23:10,889
and we met when we were
three years old.

438
00:23:10,889 --> 00:23:15,389
♫♫

439
00:23:15,389 --> 00:23:19,219
‐We were in the same preschool
and we lived on the same street.

440
00:23:19,219 --> 00:23:24,449
♫♫

441
00:23:24,449 --> 00:23:26,849
‐When we were around
11 years old,

442
00:23:26,849 --> 00:23:33,519
there was this trend of doing
this blood sister like ritual.

443
00:23:33,519 --> 00:23:36,849
Luckily, I still have my copy.

444
00:23:36,849 --> 00:23:41,249
‐We just decided we were going
to be bonded forever.

445
00:23:41,249 --> 00:23:46,049
‐We were pregnant at the same
time with Joseph and Paul.

446
00:23:46,049 --> 00:23:48,489
It ́s been 48 years of
friendship,

447
00:23:48,489 --> 00:23:51,819
and I can say
that we ́ve never said

448
00:23:51,819 --> 00:23:56,919
an unkind word to each other.

449
00:23:56,919 --> 00:24:02,449
[ Monitor beeping ]

450
00:24:02,449 --> 00:24:06,149
♫♫

451
00:24:06,149 --> 00:24:08,789
‐We were getting bombarded
with people at the hospital,

452
00:24:08,789 --> 00:24:11,289
everybody was like
wanting to be our lawyer

453
00:24:11,289 --> 00:24:13,589
and I knew we needed
to get a lawyer

454
00:24:13,589 --> 00:24:15,449
because I knew
Joe was going to need

455
00:24:15,449 --> 00:24:17,649
a lot of assistance
in the future.

456
00:24:17,649 --> 00:24:20,419
‐Kathy and her husband
at the time

457
00:24:20,419 --> 00:24:22,889
wanted to meet
with Tom Girardi.

458
00:24:22,889 --> 00:24:26,819
And because I had worked
with Masry & Vititoe

459
00:24:26,819 --> 00:24:29,919
I called them and asked them
if they would set up a meeting.

460
00:24:29,919 --> 00:24:31,949
‐At the time of the explosion.

461
00:24:31,949 --> 00:24:34,719
Kim was working
as a legal consultant.

462
00:24:34,719 --> 00:24:39,189
And that was
so crucial for Kathy,

463
00:24:39,189 --> 00:24:40,949
because the average person

464
00:24:40,949 --> 00:24:44,349
doesn ́t know how to navigate
this kind of situation.

465
00:24:44,349 --> 00:24:47,819
Who do you find?
What kind of lawyer do you need?

466
00:24:47,819 --> 00:24:50,249
Where do you go?
Who do you call?

467
00:24:50,249 --> 00:24:52,349
Kim had all of those answers.

468
00:24:52,349 --> 00:24:56,089
♫♫

469
00:24:56,089 --> 00:25:00,419
‐We went and met with him
in this big high‐rise office

470
00:25:00,419 --> 00:25:03,819
on Montgomery Street
in downtown San Francisco,

471
00:25:03,819 --> 00:25:07,789
and that was the first time
I had met Tom in person,

472
00:25:07,789 --> 00:25:09,089
‐Thomas Girardi, you know,

473
00:25:09,089 --> 00:25:11,419
let me know that everything
was going to be okay.

474
00:25:11,419 --> 00:25:14,789
No one had said that to me yet,
and it just was comforting.

475
00:25:14,789 --> 00:25:17,489
‐I called Tom
a chameleon of words,

476
00:25:17,489 --> 00:25:20,419
meaning that he always knows
what to say to a person.

477
00:25:20,419 --> 00:25:24,819
‐We walk in, he ́s calculating
by what we wear, what we say,

478
00:25:24,819 --> 00:25:26,419
how we hold our posture.

479
00:25:26,419 --> 00:25:28,619
‐We thought he could
win it for us.

480
00:25:28,619 --> 00:25:30,249
We were confident about that.

481
00:25:30,249 --> 00:25:34,319
We just didn ́t know
how much of a snake

482
00:25:34,319 --> 00:25:36,049
he was going to be
along the way.

483
00:25:36,049 --> 00:25:39,249
♫♫

484
00:25:43,149 --> 00:25:50,489
♫♫

485
00:25:50,489 --> 00:25:53,749
‐When Kathy and her family
picked Tom,

486
00:25:53,749 --> 00:25:57,089
it felt like such a big relief
off of our shoulders,

487
00:25:57,089 --> 00:25:58,849
you know,
like it ́s Girardi Keese,

488
00:25:58,849 --> 00:26:00,689
like, they ́re going
to kick their ass.

489
00:26:00,689 --> 00:26:02,989
Like, we don ́t have to worry

490
00:26:02,989 --> 00:26:05,749
about any of the legal stuff anymore.

491
00:26:07,749 --> 00:26:11,649
[ Whirring, water splashes ]

492
00:26:15,619 --> 00:26:18,389
‐This is what he handed me
when when I met him,

493
00:26:18,389 --> 00:26:23,919
he gave me a resumé
with all his credentials.

494
00:26:23,919 --> 00:26:27,049
‐Wasn ́t there list of cases?

495
00:26:27,049 --> 00:26:30,619
‐And then magazines with
post‐its on every page

496
00:26:30,619 --> 00:26:33,119
that he ́s mentioned.

497
00:26:33,119 --> 00:26:35,549
‐When you ́re going up against
PG&E they ́re a shark.

498
00:26:35,549 --> 00:26:39,389
You ́re not going to bring
the guppy to the shark fight.

499
00:26:39,389 --> 00:26:43,949
You know, the fact that Tom
had taken on PG&E twice

500
00:26:43,949 --> 00:26:45,849
and beat them,

501
00:26:45,849 --> 00:26:49,289
not only is his track record
with the defendant matter,

502
00:26:49,289 --> 00:26:53,319
but also the fact that
when you ́re a mom on a mission,

503
00:26:53,319 --> 00:26:56,449
you want your lawyer to hate
the bad guy as much as you do.

504
00:26:56,449 --> 00:27:08,119
♫♫

505
00:27:08,119 --> 00:27:10,549
Really, he took me
under his wing.

506
00:27:10,549 --> 00:27:14,119
He ́d answer any question I had
about the legal profession.

507
00:27:16,519 --> 00:27:17,989
And he was a master of it.

508
00:27:17,989 --> 00:27:23,789
So I feel like
I got this informal internship.

509
00:27:23,789 --> 00:27:26,949
How crazy is that,
knowing what I know now?

510
00:27:27,549 --> 00:27:30,049
[ Scoffs ] I mean.

511
00:27:30,049 --> 00:27:32,289
‐So once I actually got to know
Tom a little bit,

512
00:27:32,289 --> 00:27:34,519
he would take me out to dinner.

513
00:27:34,519 --> 00:27:36,289
He was not
a very big guy physically.

514
00:27:36,289 --> 00:27:40,689
It ́s probably like 5 ́5"
maybe at the tallest.

515
00:27:40,689 --> 00:27:43,119
But he just exuded confidence
and charm.

516
00:27:43,119 --> 00:27:44,719
He was always talking
about Erika.

517
00:27:44,719 --> 00:27:46,089
"Oh, she ́s the sweetest thing."

518
00:27:46,089 --> 00:27:47,889
"Look at you like this tie
I ́m wearing, Joe?

519
00:27:47,889 --> 00:27:50,949
She picked it out. Yeah, she ́s
really good at style."

520
00:27:50,949 --> 00:27:54,789
And, "Oh, look at this music
video that I did for her."

521
00:27:54,789 --> 00:27:56,419
He ́s fought these
big battles before

522
00:27:56,419 --> 00:27:58,349
and has gotten
large settlements.

523
00:27:58,349 --> 00:28:01,249
So I ́m like, this seems like
the perfect guy for the job.

524
00:28:01,249 --> 00:28:06,419
♫♫

525
00:28:06,419 --> 00:28:09,789
‐They found out
it was a faulty pipe.

526
00:28:09,789 --> 00:28:13,589
Basically was negligence
on their part.

527
00:28:13,589 --> 00:28:14,949
He never really gave us details

528
00:28:14,949 --> 00:28:17,289
about what he was doing
in the case,

529
00:28:17,289 --> 00:28:20,719
but I still thought
he was really, really great.

530
00:28:20,719 --> 00:28:22,649
It just seemed like he was
trying to be very friendly

531
00:28:22,649 --> 00:28:24,219
and letting us know
that he was there for us,

532
00:28:24,219 --> 00:28:26,549
gave us his cell phone,
home phone,

533
00:28:26,549 --> 00:28:29,089
we had went to mediation
and he, you know,

534
00:28:29,089 --> 00:28:30,919
made it sound like
we were going to go to trial.

535
00:28:30,919 --> 00:28:32,889
And when we walked in,
he was like,

536
00:28:32,889 --> 00:28:34,419
"I settled your case."

537
00:28:34,419 --> 00:28:37,749
It was like,
"Oh, okay, you did?"

538
00:28:37,749 --> 00:28:40,189
‐You know, I didn ́t feel like
they really had a grasp

539
00:28:40,189 --> 00:28:41,749
on what happened that day.

540
00:28:41,749 --> 00:28:46,819
And I knew part of it is you ́re
stunned in a situation like that

541
00:28:46,819 --> 00:28:48,789
and you ́re just
not absorbing it.

542
00:28:48,789 --> 00:28:51,589
‐They were just throwing numbers
out like, you know,

543
00:28:51,589 --> 00:28:53,249
he could get this much a month.

544
00:28:53,249 --> 00:28:54,449
He ́s going to, you know,

545
00:28:54,449 --> 00:28:56,519
have payments
throughout his life.

546
00:28:56,519 --> 00:28:58,489
‐A number of the settlement
that Tom got.

547
00:28:58,489 --> 00:29:00,589
Yeah, I was okay with that
number. Yeah.

548
00:29:00,589 --> 00:29:04,189
To put it simply, it was, it was
yeah. It was a good amount.

549
00:29:04,189 --> 00:29:06,789
It was a good amount
and made me feel comfortable.

550
00:29:06,789 --> 00:29:08,449
So it made me feel like

551
00:29:08,449 --> 00:29:12,189
it would be able to cover any
issues in life and then some.

552
00:29:12,189 --> 00:29:15,089
‐After a trial or it can be
just a settlement,

553
00:29:15,089 --> 00:29:17,889
the money goes into
your trust account.

554
00:29:17,889 --> 00:29:19,449
‐Those funds need to be held

555
00:29:19,449 --> 00:29:22,219
in that trust account,
separate and apart

556
00:29:22,219 --> 00:29:26,089
from the law firm.
Now, at that point in time,

557
00:29:26,089 --> 00:29:27,619
you ́re entitled
to your legal fees,

558
00:29:27,619 --> 00:29:30,449
but the rest of the money
belongs to the client.

559
00:29:30,449 --> 00:29:33,419
You ́re not allowed to touch that
money, it ́s not your money.

560
00:29:33,419 --> 00:29:38,449
‐To remove those funds
for any reason before it ́s clear

561
00:29:38,449 --> 00:29:42,719
that there ́s a proper accounting
of what the client should get,

562
00:29:42,719 --> 00:29:47,949
that is probably one of the most
serious offenses by attorneys,

563
00:29:47,949 --> 00:29:51,649
certainly in California.
And I would think nationwide,

564
00:29:51,649 --> 00:29:55,019
every single lawyer knows
that if you dip

565
00:29:55,019 --> 00:29:59,549
into the client ́s account,
you will be disbarred.

566
00:29:59,549 --> 00:30:03,019
♫♫

567
00:30:03,019 --> 00:30:05,019
‐So he said it would take about
three months

568
00:30:05,019 --> 00:30:08,219
to process getting the money
from PG&E and then asked

569
00:30:08,219 --> 00:30:11,919
if we ́d like to keep my
daughter ́s money and our money

570
00:30:11,919 --> 00:30:14,289
and then my son ́s big settlement

571
00:30:14,289 --> 00:30:16,719
in something
that he ́d invested in.

572
00:30:16,719 --> 00:30:21,489
‐He suggested that he would take
their millions of dollars

573
00:30:21,489 --> 00:30:22,849
of settlement funds

574
00:30:22,849 --> 00:30:27,789
and put that money
into some kind of an account

575
00:30:27,789 --> 00:30:33,219
that would guarantee
six percent interest.

576
00:30:33,219 --> 00:30:35,189
‐And he ́s supposedly
a millionaire.

577
00:30:35,189 --> 00:30:37,749
I thought he knew
how to deal with money.

578
00:30:37,749 --> 00:30:41,049
Obviously, he was, you know,
so he made it sound

579
00:30:41,049 --> 00:30:43,389
like it was a great thing to do.

580
00:30:43,389 --> 00:30:44,589
And then after everything
was paid,

581
00:30:44,589 --> 00:30:47,849
he would send us,
you know, our balance.

582
00:30:47,849 --> 00:30:50,289
So we were like, OK, you know,
that sounds good.

583
00:30:50,289 --> 00:30:54,349
And so that ́s what we did.

584
00:30:54,349 --> 00:30:58,749
‐So in the very beginning
and after it settled in 2013,

585
00:30:58,749 --> 00:31:02,889
I mean, it didn ́t feel like
things made sense right away.

586
00:31:02,889 --> 00:31:08,949
‐The amounts of the investment,
he claimed, were not accurate.

587
00:31:08,949 --> 00:31:12,519
He never sent any statements
of any kind.

588
00:31:12,519 --> 00:31:15,289
‐I mean, it was as simple as me
noticing, like, okay,

589
00:31:15,289 --> 00:31:19,149
I ́m expected to get a payment
this day and I didn ́t get it.

590
00:31:19,149 --> 00:31:20,589
So I would call him.

591
00:31:20,589 --> 00:31:23,589
And, you know, if he was hard
to get a hold of, would be like,

592
00:31:23,589 --> 00:31:26,149
"Oh, yeah, sorry about that.
́These things happen. ́

593
00:31:26,149 --> 00:31:27,989
I ́ll get it to you next week."

594
00:31:27,989 --> 00:31:32,089
And half the time the check
would come when he ́d say so

595
00:31:32,089 --> 00:31:34,389
the second time
and other times it wouldn ́t.

596
00:31:56,689 --> 00:31:59,549
‐That was the three months
after we settled.

597
00:31:59,549 --> 00:32:01,689
That was the first time we were
supposed to meet with him,

598
00:32:01,689 --> 00:32:03,749
where he was supposed
to bring our money.

599
00:32:03,749 --> 00:32:06,949
That ́s when he met with us and

600
00:32:06,949 --> 00:32:10,819
and then basically offered us
the investment deal.

601
00:32:28,149 --> 00:32:30,949
‐When I hear the voicemails,
it makes me sick to my stomach

602
00:32:30,949 --> 00:32:33,989
because I know
that it was just all a lie.

603
00:32:36,789 --> 00:32:39,989
Me and Kathy were on the phone
every day for hours

604
00:32:39,989 --> 00:32:41,419
trying to sort things out.

605
00:32:41,419 --> 00:32:44,649
Viciously Googling things,
and she ́s asking me

606
00:32:44,649 --> 00:32:47,889
my point of view
with my perspective,

607
00:32:47,889 --> 00:32:50,789
you know, my experience
in the legal profession.

608
00:32:50,789 --> 00:32:52,319
And we ́re trying
to figure it out.

609
00:32:52,319 --> 00:32:54,789
‐You know, I would be coming
home from wherever

610
00:32:54,789 --> 00:32:58,889
and my mom would be like buried
in paperwork or talking to Kim

611
00:32:58,889 --> 00:33:02,849
on the phone and she had
connects on the inside.

612
00:33:02,849 --> 00:33:05,689
‐There were times that we were
pretty scared

613
00:33:05,689 --> 00:33:11,019
because we didn ́t know what
pushing this would really do.

614
00:33:11,019 --> 00:33:17,589
♫♫

615
00:33:17,589 --> 00:33:19,989
Um, Mrs. Hernandez,
this is Tom Girardi.

616
00:33:19,989 --> 00:33:23,519
I want ‐‐ I know you ́re
so frustrated and mad

617
00:33:23,519 --> 00:33:24,589
and everything.

618
00:33:24,589 --> 00:33:28,619
And I don ́t blame you.
I am, too.

619
00:33:28,619 --> 00:33:31,819
‐My name is Josie Hernandez.

620
00:33:31,819 --> 00:33:36,049
And I am a former client
of Tom Girardi.

621
00:33:39,249 --> 00:33:47,089
In 2010, I seeked out a doctor.
I have three kids,

622
00:33:47,089 --> 00:33:50,249
and as most women do
when they have kids,

623
00:33:50,249 --> 00:33:52,319
they have incontinence issues.

624
00:33:52,319 --> 00:33:54,749
So I talked to
my doctor about it.

625
00:33:54,749 --> 00:33:57,189
He said, "Oh, now we have this
sling. We ́re going to ‐‐

626
00:33:57,189 --> 00:34:03,219
it ́s so super safe ‐‐
implant it you ́ll be good.

627
00:34:03,219 --> 00:34:06,289
Did the procedure, didn ́t work.

628
00:34:06,289 --> 00:34:10,819
Started feeling sick.
I went back to the doctor.

629
00:34:10,819 --> 00:34:13,649
He says, "Okay,
let ́s put in another one.

630
00:34:15,749 --> 00:34:18,049
And things just got worse.

631
00:34:18,049 --> 00:34:27,489
♫♫

632
00:34:27,489 --> 00:34:30,349
So a friend said, "You know
what, I know somebody

633
00:34:30,349 --> 00:34:35,549
who can help you.
He ́s going to fight for you."

634
00:34:35,549 --> 00:34:38,619
So I went to
the Girardi Keese firm,

635
00:34:38,619 --> 00:34:41,189
I signed up with them in 2014.

636
00:34:44,789 --> 00:34:49,719
During the time that I was
with that firm, my case

637
00:34:49,719 --> 00:34:56,219
changed hands various times,
which I thought was strange.

638
00:34:56,219 --> 00:34:59,749
I thought, "Okay, why are
these attorneys leaving?"

639
00:34:59,749 --> 00:35:01,589
It was just a big turnover.

640
00:35:01,589 --> 00:35:03,789
That was, that
was very stressful.

641
00:35:03,789 --> 00:35:07,449
By 2019,
I was getting really like,

642
00:35:07,449 --> 00:35:09,719
"Okay, no, I ́m done.
I ́m done waiting.

643
00:35:09,719 --> 00:35:15,019
You guys have had more than
enough time. What is going on?"

644
00:35:15,019 --> 00:35:19,019
And I said, "You know what,
I need you to tell Mr. Girardi

645
00:35:19,019 --> 00:35:21,749
that I need to know
what ́s going on with my case."

646
00:35:23,789 --> 00:35:29,019
‐I just can ́t imagine
being a victim.

647
00:35:29,019 --> 00:35:34,919
And watching any episode
of "The Real Housewives"

648
00:35:34,919 --> 00:35:37,119
and watching Erika Jayne

649
00:35:37,119 --> 00:35:40,189
go through her
extensive shoe collection,

650
00:35:40,189 --> 00:35:46,119
her closet, her home,
her private plane going on trips

651
00:35:46,119 --> 00:35:51,519
and flaunting
all of this wealth.

652
00:35:51,519 --> 00:35:54,919
Without wondering
where it came from.

653
00:35:54,919 --> 00:35:57,919
♫♫

654
00:36:07,789 --> 00:36:11,719
♫♫

655
00:36:11,719 --> 00:36:16,649
‐Joe Ruigomez checking in.
10:30.

656
00:36:16,649 --> 00:36:19,219
‐Come on in, bud.
‐What ́s up, man?

657
00:36:19,219 --> 00:36:21,289
‐Have a seat.

658
00:36:23,719 --> 00:36:29,049
In terms of how you feel today,
what what what ́s going on today?

659
00:36:29,049 --> 00:36:32,149
‐I got restrictions underneath
my arm, like, when I lift up,

660
00:36:32,149 --> 00:36:34,349
I still have
the range of motion,

661
00:36:34,349 --> 00:36:40,689
but it ́s just super
restrictive and painful.

662
00:36:40,689 --> 00:36:44,849
I ́ve had over 30 surgeries
just as of today,

663
00:36:44,849 --> 00:36:47,189
I have like five or six
that are on the back burner

664
00:36:47,189 --> 00:36:49,749
that I need to get done
and it ́s just going to be

665
00:36:49,749 --> 00:36:53,119
a continued process for the rest
of my life, unfortunately.

666
00:36:53,119 --> 00:36:55,649
‐A skin graft
on in a skin graft area

667
00:36:55,649 --> 00:36:59,389
is probably not
your best answer.

668
00:36:59,389 --> 00:37:03,019
‐Also, I ́m in
quite a lot of fear,

669
00:37:03,019 --> 00:37:04,349
I ́m going to need a lot of money

670
00:37:04,349 --> 00:37:07,349
for the medical life
that I have ahead.

671
00:37:07,349 --> 00:37:12,519
♫♫

672
00:37:12,519 --> 00:37:15,249
Whenever I would complain
to him about, you know,

673
00:37:15,249 --> 00:37:17,289
"Hey, Tom, you said you were
going to pay me on this day

674
00:37:17,289 --> 00:37:20,649
and it ́s been three weeks,
what ́s going on?"

675
00:37:20,649 --> 00:37:22,689
He would call me back
and be like,

676
00:37:22,689 --> 00:37:25,849
"Oh, are you mad at me?"
He would butter me up.

677
00:37:25,849 --> 00:37:28,019
"You know what, Joe?
You ́re a bitchin ́ guy."

678
00:37:28,019 --> 00:37:29,749
That ́s something
he would say a lot.

679
00:37:29,749 --> 00:37:31,519
"You ́re a bitchin ́ guy, baby."

680
00:37:33,719 --> 00:37:35,449
When I ́d ask him for money,

681
00:37:35,449 --> 00:37:38,619
he would reference
this guy called Justice Panelli.

682
00:37:38,619 --> 00:37:41,619
♫♫

683
00:37:50,189 --> 00:37:51,989
‐Edward Panelli,
is a former

684
00:37:51,989 --> 00:37:54,289
California Supreme Court
justice.

685
00:37:54,289 --> 00:37:58,189
He retired
and became a private judge.

686
00:37:58,189 --> 00:38:04,249
He was the mediator between
the Ruigomez family and PG&E.

687
00:38:24,919 --> 00:38:26,689
‐And it was always
Justice Panelli said this

688
00:38:26,689 --> 00:38:28,049
Justice Panelli said that,

689
00:38:28,049 --> 00:38:31,419
that was like his,
like, scapegoat guy.

690
00:38:31,419 --> 00:38:33,149
And I ́m like,
"Well, it ́s you know,

691
00:38:33,149 --> 00:38:35,619
this is some of this stuff
is for surgeries, you know,

692
00:38:35,619 --> 00:38:37,789
but he would always reference
him and make it sound like

693
00:38:37,789 --> 00:38:41,549
I can ́t give you this money
or I can ́t give you this amount

694
00:38:41,549 --> 00:38:44,289
because Justice Panelli
said I can ́t.

695
00:38:46,949 --> 00:38:50,089
Definitely kind of treated me
like a child a little bit.

696
00:38:50,089 --> 00:38:52,649
‐Yeah, he was already over 18
when it happened.

697
00:38:52,649 --> 00:38:55,449
So, yeah,
there ́s no reason for for that.

698
00:38:55,449 --> 00:38:56,519
And the way he makes it
sound like

699
00:38:56,519 --> 00:38:58,289
Justice Panelli really cared.

700
00:38:58,289 --> 00:39:01,789
Justice Panelli really wasn ́t
very interested in us at all.

701
00:39:01,789 --> 00:39:03,389
You could tell.

702
00:39:03,389 --> 00:39:30,719
♫♫

703
00:39:30,719 --> 00:39:34,789
‐About a year
after the settlement,

704
00:39:34,789 --> 00:39:38,889
the Ruigomez family realizes
that something is going on,

705
00:39:38,889 --> 00:39:41,789
they haven ́t gotten
their settlement money

706
00:39:41,789 --> 00:39:46,419
and they ́re starting to question
this more and more.

707
00:39:46,419 --> 00:39:48,989
And then something
terrible happens.

708
00:39:48,989 --> 00:40:03,449
♫♫

709
00:40:03,449 --> 00:40:08,549
‐After Paul died,
Kathy came down the next day,

710
00:40:08,549 --> 00:40:11,789
just like I went to her house

711
00:40:11,789 --> 00:40:15,789
when something terrible
happened to her family.

712
00:40:15,789 --> 00:40:19,319
No one could imagine
that amount of tragedy.

713
00:40:19,319 --> 00:40:23,919
♫♫

714
00:40:23,919 --> 00:40:26,749
‐That just kind of detoured us
from a lot of it.

715
00:40:26,749 --> 00:40:30,719
And now we ́re just devastated
over her son

716
00:40:30,719 --> 00:40:32,689
and dealing with that.
[ Camera shutter clicks ]

717
00:40:32,689 --> 00:40:41,189
♫♫

718
00:40:41,189 --> 00:40:45,089
‐It was that moment
basically where my son ́s death,

719
00:40:45,089 --> 00:40:47,949
like, gave Tom a free pass
to start all over again,

720
00:40:47,949 --> 00:40:49,619
with me and Kathy.

721
00:40:49,619 --> 00:40:52,449
Because now <i>my</i> son ́s dead.

722
00:40:52,449 --> 00:40:56,519
And...

723
00:40:56,519 --> 00:40:59,319
we don ́t really want
to know the truth.

724
00:40:59,319 --> 00:41:02,389
Because the truth is so ugly
at this point,

725
00:41:02,389 --> 00:41:04,189
and now we ́re dealing

726
00:41:04,189 --> 00:41:08,749
with a whole new set
of tragic circumstances.

727
00:41:08,749 --> 00:41:15,549
♫♫

728
00:41:15,549 --> 00:41:18,289
Kathy and I talked about,
you know, maybe it ́s a good idea

729
00:41:18,289 --> 00:41:20,819
for me
to take it to another attorney

730
00:41:20,819 --> 00:41:23,319
so that it doesn ́t add
any more complications,

731
00:41:23,319 --> 00:41:27,249
because what if you know
that what we think is true

732
00:41:27,249 --> 00:41:31,519
or what if we need to make
a demand for Joe ́s money?

733
00:41:31,519 --> 00:41:33,449
So I went and met
with other lawyers,

734
00:41:33,449 --> 00:41:35,789
but people didn ́t want
to do my son ́s case

735
00:41:35,789 --> 00:41:38,919
because they didn ́t want to step
on Tom Girardi ́s toes.

736
00:41:38,919 --> 00:41:41,849
My back ́s against the wall, too,

737
00:41:41,849 --> 00:41:46,889
so we pulled
the trigger and file.

738
00:41:46,889 --> 00:41:53,589
The lawsuit with Tom,
as you know, my attorney.

739
00:41:53,589 --> 00:41:58,789
You know, what choice
do we really have?

740
00:42:04,349 --> 00:42:09,489
January 2017 would have been
the last time

741
00:42:09,489 --> 00:42:13,749
that Tom gave Joe money
from the money

742
00:42:13,749 --> 00:42:15,589
that he was managing for him.

743
00:42:17,889 --> 00:42:20,849
‐Got to a point where you just,
you know,

744
00:42:20,849 --> 00:42:22,489
the checks
disappeared completely.

745
00:42:22,489 --> 00:42:24,719
It was pretty conclusive
to me in my mind.

746
00:42:24,719 --> 00:42:28,889
I ́m like, okay, something really
sinister is going on here

747
00:42:28,889 --> 00:42:30,719
and it ́s making me
really nervous.

748
00:42:33,889 --> 00:42:36,649
Like, you know,
I just bought a house like,

749
00:42:36,649 --> 00:42:38,089
you know,
I might have to sell that now

750
00:42:38,089 --> 00:42:40,289
because I can ́t keep up
with the mortgage.

751
00:42:43,089 --> 00:42:45,449
‐Kathy and I would joke like,
because we are like,

752
00:42:45,449 --> 00:42:46,989
who are we going to call?

753
00:42:46,989 --> 00:42:49,319
Like, we can ́t call the D. A.
that ́s Tom ́s friends.

754
00:42:49,319 --> 00:42:50,819
We can ́t go to
the chief of police.

755
00:42:50,819 --> 00:42:52,019
That ́s Tom ́s friend.

756
00:42:52,019 --> 00:42:53,989
You can ́t go to
the California Attorney General.

757
00:42:53,989 --> 00:42:55,119
That ́s Tom ́s friend.

758
00:42:55,119 --> 00:42:56,549
You can ́t go
to the California bar.

759
00:42:56,549 --> 00:42:58,689
That ́s Tom ́s friends.
Like, who are we going to call?

760
00:42:58,689 --> 00:43:02,849
Like, "Ghostbusters"?
Who ́s going to help us?

761
00:43:02,849 --> 00:43:05,949
‐Twenty or more years ago,
you started hearing rumors

762
00:43:05,949 --> 00:43:08,849
about him not paying
his co‐counselor,

763
00:43:08,849 --> 00:43:10,449
his referring lawyers.

764
00:43:10,449 --> 00:43:14,889
There were stories
about a lot of lawsuits

765
00:43:14,889 --> 00:43:16,589
that were filed against him.
And of course,

766
00:43:16,589 --> 00:43:21,819
I think a lot of people chalk
that up to big name, big cases,

767
00:43:21,819 --> 00:43:23,589
enemies come out of
the woodwork,

768
00:43:23,589 --> 00:43:25,619
and, and maybe
that ́s what was going on.

769
00:43:25,619 --> 00:43:28,849
‐I plugged Tom Girardi ́s name
into our own archives.

770
00:43:28,849 --> 00:43:31,219
You know, every once in awhile.
Something kind of slipped in

771
00:43:31,219 --> 00:43:33,619
where there was a client
accusing him

772
00:43:33,619 --> 00:43:37,189
of doing something wrong
or doing something unethical

773
00:43:37,189 --> 00:43:39,719
or not giving them
all of their money.

774
00:43:39,719 --> 00:43:41,389
‐There were lawsuits.

775
00:43:41,389 --> 00:43:44,289
You know, and he knew there were
lawsuits referenced on

776
00:43:44,289 --> 00:43:47,489
"Watch What Happens Live"
or on blogs or whatnot.

777
00:43:47,489 --> 00:43:50,249
‐Vegan in Minnesota said,
"Ask Erika if she feels the need

778
00:43:50,249 --> 00:43:52,349
to cut back on her glam squad

779
00:43:52,349 --> 00:43:55,219
since her husband is being sued
for a huge amount of money?"

780
00:43:55,219 --> 00:43:56,689
We got a lot of questions
about this.

781
00:43:56,689 --> 00:43:58,549
Anything you want to say
about that?

782
00:43:58,549 --> 00:44:01,889
‐Yeah, it ́s a lawsuit
and you can ́t comment on it.

783
00:44:01,889 --> 00:44:06,549
‐I think when she brushed it off
and said, "I can ́t discuss it,"

784
00:44:06,549 --> 00:44:08,219
I think people just were like,
"Okay."

785
00:44:08,219 --> 00:44:09,989
They didn ́t, it
was too complicated

786
00:44:09,989 --> 00:44:11,449
for anyone to really, like,

787
00:44:11,449 --> 00:44:14,489
want to sink their teeth
into and expose it.

788
00:44:14,489 --> 00:44:18,319
They took her word for it.

789
00:44:18,319 --> 00:44:21,489
‐You ́d hear, like, "Oh, Girardi
doesn ́t have any more money,"

790
00:44:21,489 --> 00:44:23,389
you just kind of hear things
talking to people,

791
00:44:23,389 --> 00:44:25,249
people gossiping,
the rumor mill.

792
00:44:25,249 --> 00:44:30,489
‐I remember at some point
in time a judge telling me,

793
00:44:30,489 --> 00:44:33,089
"You know, Tom doesn ́t have
that much money left."

794
00:44:33,089 --> 00:44:34,289
I thought,
"You got to be kidding me."

795
00:44:34,289 --> 00:44:35,649
This is a guy that we believe

796
00:44:35,649 --> 00:44:38,019
worth ́s a couple
hundred million dollars.

797
00:44:38,019 --> 00:44:39,719
He ́s set for life.

798
00:44:42,649 --> 00:44:44,089
‐I don ́t want you mad at me.

799
00:44:44,089 --> 00:44:49,189
I ́m working like a dog to try
and get this thing resolved.

800
00:44:49,189 --> 00:44:53,249
‐He sounds like he, he wouldn ́t
hurt a fly.

801
00:44:53,249 --> 00:44:56,789
Like he ́s team, Josie,
like even though

802
00:44:56,789 --> 00:44:59,489
he ́s an attorney
for all these important people,

803
00:44:59,489 --> 00:45:01,749
he ́s team Josie,
you know?

804
00:45:01,749 --> 00:45:07,889
‐I know it ́s very frustrating
to wait so long for a settlement

805
00:45:07,889 --> 00:45:12,189
and then to be delayed further,
that ‐‐ I ́m in your corner.

806
00:45:12,189 --> 00:45:16,419
Believe me, we ́d like our money
just like you ́d like yours.

807
00:45:16,419 --> 00:45:22,349
‐Yeah. He ́s unbelievably
cruel doing that,

808
00:45:22,349 --> 00:45:24,949
knowing he already had my money.

809
00:45:24,949 --> 00:45:28,889
‐I ́m sorry. Don ́t be mad at me.
I ́m a good guy, by the way.

810
00:45:28,889 --> 00:45:31,789
Goodbye.

811
00:45:31,789 --> 00:45:35,719
‐I filed a complaint
with the bar.

812
00:45:35,719 --> 00:45:37,889
I was also able
to get a confirmation

813
00:45:37,889 --> 00:45:41,849
his firm received my money
May 2020.

814
00:45:41,849 --> 00:45:47,219
The messages that he left me
was in August.

815
00:45:47,219 --> 00:45:53,419
So he was lying, he was lying,
he had my money already.

816
00:45:53,419 --> 00:45:58,219
‐You thought you were going to
get maybe as much as $100,000.

817
00:45:58,219 --> 00:46:02,049
‐I haven ́t received anything.
‐Not a single thing?

818
00:46:02,049 --> 00:46:03,819
‐Not a penny.

819
00:46:03,819 --> 00:46:06,919
♫♫

820
00:46:15,889 --> 00:46:18,049
‐Election Day, 2020.

821
00:46:18,049 --> 00:46:21,349
‐I was at home and I was
just scrolling the Internet.

822
00:46:21,349 --> 00:46:22,589
I think I was
getting ready for work.

823
00:46:22,589 --> 00:46:25,689
‐The news alerts came in
so early.

824
00:46:25,689 --> 00:46:28,889
♫♫

825
00:46:28,889 --> 00:46:31,919
‐Erika Jayne and her divorce
from estranged husband

826
00:46:31,919 --> 00:46:35,249
Tom Girardi amid
their ongoing legal troubles.

827
00:46:35,249 --> 00:46:38,419
‐Erika Jayne from "The Real
Housewives of Beverly Hills"

828
00:46:38,419 --> 00:46:41,149
filed for divorce
from her husband, Tom.

829
00:46:41,149 --> 00:46:47,019
‐It was breaking news that Erika
had filed for divorce from Tom.

830
00:46:47,019 --> 00:46:50,749
‐My phone was flooded
with texts from friends.

831
00:46:50,749 --> 00:46:54,489
‐Everyone was like,
"Something crazy is brewing."

832
00:46:54,489 --> 00:46:57,989
‐I was not surprised
when Erika Jayne announced

833
00:46:57,989 --> 00:46:59,719
that she was divorcing
Tom Girardi

834
00:46:59,719 --> 00:47:02,489
because there were rumors
swirling in Beverly Hills

835
00:47:02,489 --> 00:47:04,949
that that was coming.

836
00:47:04,949 --> 00:47:07,889
‐Can you elaborate at all
on the rumors?

837
00:47:07,889 --> 00:47:12,019
‐I can ́t. but I can tell you
that it may or may not have had

838
00:47:12,019 --> 00:47:14,949
to do with financial problems.
[ Laughs ]

839
00:47:14,949 --> 00:47:18,089
‐I definitely had heard
some rumblings that there were

840
00:47:18,089 --> 00:47:22,089
some legal issues,
but I had no idea the magnitude.

841
00:47:22,089 --> 00:47:23,549
‐To put it into
complete context,

842
00:47:23,549 --> 00:47:26,849
you have to understand that
before Erika filed for divorce,

843
00:47:26,849 --> 00:47:30,419
there were these lenders who
were suing Tom very publicly.

844
00:47:30,419 --> 00:47:33,989
‐He had taken out tens
of millions of dollars in loans

845
00:47:33,989 --> 00:47:36,419
and he wasn ́t
paying them back properly.

846
00:47:36,419 --> 00:47:41,949
‐Why would Tom, who has won
hundreds of millions of dollars

847
00:47:41,949 --> 00:47:44,989
in settlements and verdicts,
need to to borrow money?

848
00:47:44,989 --> 00:47:47,449
‐The easiest way for people
to basically understand this

849
00:47:47,449 --> 00:47:50,119
is that just like
any business might go out

850
00:47:50,119 --> 00:47:51,389
and secure a loan

851
00:47:51,389 --> 00:47:55,149
in order to run
or operate their business,

852
00:47:55,149 --> 00:47:56,749
lawyers will do the same thing.

853
00:47:56,749 --> 00:47:59,149
But sometimes people do it
because they ́re in trouble.

854
00:47:59,149 --> 00:48:02,649
And apparently these were
the types of loans

855
00:48:02,649 --> 00:48:10,419
that were coming due
for Girardi before the divorce.

856
00:48:10,419 --> 00:48:15,389
‐So after a couple of the
lenders had filed lawsuits

857
00:48:15,389 --> 00:48:16,619
against Tom,
I mean,

858
00:48:16,619 --> 00:48:19,919
we knew that we had
to get out of there.

859
00:48:19,919 --> 00:48:22,849
We couldn ́t wait for Paul ́s case
to be done anymore.

860
00:48:22,849 --> 00:48:27,919
We had ‐‐ Paul is dead.
Joe is still alive.

861
00:48:27,919 --> 00:48:32,489
So we had to pick Joe.
He had to be the priority again

862
00:48:32,489 --> 00:48:37,689
because he ́s the one still here,
you know?

863
00:48:37,689 --> 00:48:41,989
And so me and Kathy
scooped up our stuff and left.

864
00:48:41,989 --> 00:48:44,889
And, you know,
luckily we found an attorney

865
00:48:44,889 --> 00:48:46,619
who could help them and help me.

866
00:48:46,619 --> 00:48:55,619
♫♫

867
00:48:55,619 --> 00:48:57,189
‐He signed an agreement

868
00:48:57,189 --> 00:49:00,249
that he would make
a million dollar payment

869
00:49:00,249 --> 00:49:02,449
and then like
a couple months later,

870
00:49:02,449 --> 00:49:05,219
it was like a two and
a half million dollar payment.

871
00:49:05,219 --> 00:49:07,419
But he never got
to the second payment.

872
00:49:07,419 --> 00:49:10,349
‐It ́s very disappointing
when you find out your lawyer

873
00:49:10,349 --> 00:49:11,689
basically robbed you,

874
00:49:11,689 --> 00:49:14,049
knowing that he knows everything
that I ́ve been through.

875
00:49:14,049 --> 00:49:15,649
I just don ́t get it.

876
00:49:17,819 --> 00:49:19,489
‐So they dragged him
back into court,

877
00:49:19,489 --> 00:49:22,249
turned this settlement
into an actual judgment

878
00:49:22,249 --> 00:49:25,689
that ́s enforceable
and then they deposed him.

879
00:49:43,519 --> 00:49:46,589
‐You don ́t see
depositions this alarming.

880
00:50:11,289 --> 00:50:14,419
‐It ́s like,
wow, like broke?

881
00:50:14,419 --> 00:50:16,449
Like broke, broke?

882
00:50:16,449 --> 00:50:19,789
Like but not
the client ́s money, right?

883
00:50:19,789 --> 00:50:23,119
‐I was like, "Oh crap,
he admits it."

884
00:50:23,119 --> 00:50:24,519
This is his own words.

885
00:50:24,519 --> 00:50:28,349
He had $50 or $80 million,
he says.

886
00:50:28,349 --> 00:50:32,989
And now, you know,
there ́s nothing left.

887
00:50:32,989 --> 00:50:36,249
‐So the first question
that comes to my mind is

888
00:50:36,249 --> 00:50:38,119
where did it go?

889
00:50:38,119 --> 00:50:40,049
Where ́s the money?

890
00:50:40,049 --> 00:50:44,249
And that admission that he
is broke, he has no money,

891
00:50:44,249 --> 00:50:48,049
opens up the door
to Erika ́s finances.

892
00:50:48,049 --> 00:51:10,519
♫♫

893
00:51:10,519 --> 00:51:12,989
‐I think there was a period
of time

894
00:51:12,989 --> 00:51:15,449
where the rumors
started to escalate,

895
00:51:15,449 --> 00:51:19,389
it was a very slow, it ́s almost
like a slow car wreck

896
00:51:19,389 --> 00:51:21,019
that you ́re watching occur.

897
00:51:21,019 --> 00:51:24,849
‐Tom had a very substantial
legal history.

898
00:51:24,849 --> 00:51:28,049
We saw one case and then another
and then another.

899
00:51:28,049 --> 00:51:31,319
We saw this flurry of activity
that had been going on

900
00:51:31,319 --> 00:51:35,889
very quietly
over the last several years.

901
00:51:35,889 --> 00:51:39,149
That was really where we started
just trying to map out

902
00:51:39,149 --> 00:51:40,749
what exactly was happening.

903
00:51:40,749 --> 00:51:44,019
It was just very unusual to have
all of that happening at once.

904
00:51:45,649 --> 00:51:49,619
[ Horns honk ]

905
00:51:53,949 --> 00:51:57,419
‐In December, 2020,
a Chicago lawyer

906
00:51:57,419 --> 00:52:00,589
files a lawsuit against Tom

907
00:52:00,589 --> 00:52:03,649
because he hadn ́t been paid,

908
00:52:03,649 --> 00:52:06,149
several of his clients
hadn ́t been paid.

909
00:52:06,149 --> 00:52:11,019
And now this whole thing blows
up because now it ́s public.

910
00:52:11,019 --> 00:52:14,849
‐The Chicago case was
groundbreaking in the sense

911
00:52:14,849 --> 00:52:17,619
that it finally brought out
in the public eye

912
00:52:17,619 --> 00:52:19,349
to all the media outlets

913
00:52:19,349 --> 00:52:23,149
that Tom Girardi
potentially was a fraud.

914
00:52:23,149 --> 00:52:28,119
‐This was the Lion Air crash the
737 MAX crashed in Indonesia.

915
00:52:28,119 --> 00:52:29,549
[ Chatter ]

916
00:52:29,549 --> 00:52:33,749
In 2018, I was
involved in that litigation,

917
00:52:33,749 --> 00:52:36,189
I represented families
as well,

918
00:52:36,189 --> 00:52:38,289
who had lost
loved ones on that crash.

919
00:52:38,289 --> 00:52:41,149
We were all in the process
of working with Boeing

920
00:52:41,149 --> 00:52:44,819
to resolve our cases.

921
00:52:44,819 --> 00:52:48,619
‐Tom Girardi and his firm
represented several

922
00:52:48,619 --> 00:52:53,919
specifically widows and orphans
of these plane crash victims,

923
00:52:53,919 --> 00:52:59,089
so on their behalf, he won
multimillion dollar settlements.

924
00:52:59,089 --> 00:53:00,889
‐The attorney who filed
the Chicago case,

925
00:53:00,889 --> 00:53:03,719
Jay Edelson,
what he said is

926
00:53:03,719 --> 00:53:07,619
that actually I had been trying
for a long time

927
00:53:07,619 --> 00:53:11,119
to get the settlement money
from my clients,

928
00:53:11,119 --> 00:53:16,689
basically chasing Girardi and
his staff for money for months.

929
00:53:16,689 --> 00:53:21,149
‐I think this was the emperor is
not wearing any clothes moment,

930
00:53:21,149 --> 00:53:24,719
if you will.

931
00:53:24,719 --> 00:53:27,489
One of the things that really
struck me in my interview

932
00:53:27,489 --> 00:53:29,649
with Jay Edelson on my podcast

933
00:53:29,649 --> 00:53:32,749
was the the thing
that made him realize

934
00:53:32,749 --> 00:53:36,249
that he had to file a civil
litigation against Tom Girardi.

935
00:53:36,249 --> 00:53:39,249
Was Erika Girardi
filing for divorce.

936
00:53:54,319 --> 00:53:57,819
He believed that Tom had
stolen tens of millions

937
00:53:57,819 --> 00:54:02,189
of dollars from creditors,
loan companies, and victims

938
00:54:02,189 --> 00:54:05,389
so that he could fund
his lavish lifestyle

939
00:54:05,389 --> 00:54:07,549
that he presented
to his colleagues.

940
00:54:07,549 --> 00:54:09,789
And on the show, "Real
Housewives of Beverly Hills,"

941
00:54:09,789 --> 00:54:12,419
for his wife, Erika Girardi,

942
00:54:12,419 --> 00:54:14,719
‐That ́s the worst thing
a lawyer could ever do,

943
00:54:14,719 --> 00:54:16,249
is steal money from clients.

944
00:54:16,249 --> 00:54:21,349
And it ́s worse if it ́s from the
families of widows and orphans.

945
00:54:21,349 --> 00:54:29,089
♫♫

946
00:54:29,089 --> 00:54:31,619
‐My name is Bias Ramadhan.

947
00:54:31,619 --> 00:54:33,119
My mom was one of the victim

948
00:54:33,119 --> 00:54:37,419
in the Lion Air
crash in Indonesia.

949
00:54:37,419 --> 00:54:41,149
Her name is Hasnawati.

950
00:54:41,149 --> 00:54:43,549
‐This is a tragedy, right?

951
00:54:43,549 --> 00:54:46,789
[ Siren wails ]

952
00:54:46,789 --> 00:54:53,349
And then the lawsuit is also
emotionally draining.

953
00:54:53,349 --> 00:54:58,189
And there ́s almost no one like
that, anybody like this

954
00:54:58,189 --> 00:54:59,489
and is not crying.

955
00:54:59,489 --> 00:55:06,819
♫♫

956
00:55:06,819 --> 00:55:09,719
‐After the settlement,
Tom Girardi got the money

957
00:55:09,719 --> 00:55:10,919
and it was kind of the
same thing

958
00:55:10,919 --> 00:55:13,219
that you heard
about Kathy Ruigomez,

959
00:55:13,219 --> 00:55:16,719
where "It ́ll be coming soon,
don ́t worry."

960
00:55:16,719 --> 00:55:18,889
But of course,
it never showed up.

961
00:55:18,889 --> 00:55:20,889
‐We wait and we wait
and we kept sending e‐mail

962
00:55:20,889 --> 00:55:22,149
almost every week.

963
00:55:22,149 --> 00:55:26,349
♫♫

964
00:55:26,349 --> 00:55:29,919
‐I ́m getting chills,
just thinking about

965
00:55:29,919 --> 00:55:31,289
what Tom allegedly did

966
00:55:31,289 --> 00:55:35,289
and my sort of initial reaction
to that was, "No way."

967
00:55:35,289 --> 00:55:37,449
I initially was like,
"No way, not Tom."

968
00:55:37,449 --> 00:55:40,819
Tom is Erika ́s, you know,
steadfast, quiet,

969
00:55:40,819 --> 00:55:42,049
81‐year‐old husband.

970
00:55:42,049 --> 00:55:43,849
There ́s no way
he could possibly be doing this.

971
00:55:43,849 --> 00:55:45,989
But then the more that I read,

972
00:55:45,989 --> 00:55:50,019
especially about
the Lion Air victims.

973
00:55:51,989 --> 00:55:58,389
I was profoundly
upset and disgusted.

974
00:56:00,389 --> 00:56:04,789
‐Judge Thomas Durkin,
the former federal prosecutor,

975
00:56:04,789 --> 00:56:07,689
was overseeing
all of these cases,

976
00:56:07,689 --> 00:56:13,449
and Judge Durkin not only found
Tom Girardi in contempt,

977
00:56:13,449 --> 00:56:16,619
he also froze
Tom ́s bank accounts

978
00:56:16,619 --> 00:56:19,019
and he froze
all the bank accounts

979
00:56:19,019 --> 00:56:22,449
that Girardi Keese oversaw.

980
00:56:22,449 --> 00:56:25,019
That immediately
paralyzed the firm,

981
00:56:25,019 --> 00:56:27,519
it paralyzed Tom financially.

982
00:56:27,519 --> 00:56:30,289
Additionally, Judge Durkin
referred the case

983
00:56:30,289 --> 00:56:32,389
to federal prosecutors.

984
00:56:32,389 --> 00:56:35,549
Which means that Tom Girardi
could be facing

985
00:56:35,549 --> 00:56:37,389
time behind bars.

986
00:56:39,619 --> 00:56:41,619
‐I was a federal prosecutor.

987
00:56:41,619 --> 00:56:44,489
The last thing you want
is a referral

988
00:56:44,489 --> 00:56:46,219
to the U. S. Attorney ́s Office.

989
00:56:46,219 --> 00:56:50,649
As an attorney,
it is doomsday for you.

990
00:56:50,649 --> 00:56:55,089
It means that you are likely
going to be investigated.

991
00:56:55,089 --> 00:56:58,689
‐The Chicago case right off
the bat, they name Erika Jayne,

992
00:56:58,689 --> 00:57:01,349
in their lawsuit,
‐One of the lenders owed money

993
00:57:01,349 --> 00:57:04,449
by Tom Girardi
claimed in a lawsuit

994
00:57:04,449 --> 00:57:09,549
that Tom had given
his wife 20 million dollars

995
00:57:09,549 --> 00:57:11,819
in loans from Girardi Keese.

996
00:57:11,819 --> 00:57:14,719
And that money went to Erika
Jayne ́s Entertainment Company,

997
00:57:14,719 --> 00:57:18,419
EJ Global, LLC.

998
00:57:18,419 --> 00:57:21,819
‐He was taking money in some
cases, it ́s being alleged,

999
00:57:21,819 --> 00:57:24,549
and investing it
into Erika ́s business,

1000
00:57:24,549 --> 00:57:26,489
into her career,
and the allegations

1001
00:57:26,489 --> 00:57:30,919
are that that money
was coming from clients.

1002
00:57:30,919 --> 00:57:33,089
‐But those documents
aren ́t public yet.

1003
00:57:33,089 --> 00:57:35,319
So while we ́ve heard about this

1004
00:57:35,319 --> 00:57:37,549
and it ́s been repeated
in several other lawsuits,

1005
00:57:37,549 --> 00:57:41,889
including Edelson ́s lawsuit,
we haven ́t seen the proof yet.

1006
00:57:41,889 --> 00:57:44,419
‐I think the biggest question
that everybody has is,

1007
00:57:44,419 --> 00:57:47,249
is she going to be in trouble?
Did she know?

1008
00:57:47,249 --> 00:57:50,719
I was pretty shocked
and pretty saddened by it.

1009
00:57:50,719 --> 00:57:55,049
And I felt really bad
for these victims

1010
00:57:55,049 --> 00:58:00,119
that thought they hit
the jackpot with Tom Girardi.

1011
00:58:00,119 --> 00:58:05,219
‐We are the victims here,
not him, not Tom, not his wife.

1012
00:58:05,219 --> 00:58:07,819
It ́s only me and three
of my siblings.

1013
00:58:07,819 --> 00:58:10,819
So four of us. And that ́s it.
We just want to know,

1014
00:58:10,819 --> 00:58:13,789
can we get our money
and when will we get it?

1015
00:58:13,789 --> 00:58:17,489
Whether a month or two months,
I don ́t even know it.

1016
00:58:17,489 --> 00:58:20,049
Will be next year? I don ́t
even ‐‐ We don ́t even know it.

1017
00:58:20,049 --> 00:58:23,089
♫♫

1018
00:58:23,089 --> 00:58:25,619
‐It ́s my understanding that
Tom Girardi is now

1019
00:58:25,619 --> 00:58:28,189
under a conservatorship
with his brother

1020
00:58:28,189 --> 00:58:32,149
taking over control of certain
aspects of Tom Girardi ́s life.

1021
00:58:32,149 --> 00:58:33,419
‐His defense attorney suggested

1022
00:58:33,419 --> 00:58:35,919
that he might have been
mentally incompetent.

1023
00:58:35,919 --> 00:58:39,849
And that kind of hints at the
defense we ́ve seen developing

1024
00:58:39,849 --> 00:58:42,449
over the course
of the last few months.

1025
00:58:42,449 --> 00:58:46,189
There is a psychiatrist
in Los Angeles

1026
00:58:46,189 --> 00:58:49,819
who has diagnosed him
with Alzheimer ́s.

1027
00:58:49,819 --> 00:58:53,289
And I think the whole
Alzheimer ́s diagnosis

1028
00:58:53,289 --> 00:58:54,519
will carry some weight

1029
00:58:54,519 --> 00:58:57,989
on whether he can be
criminally charged or not.

1030
00:58:57,989 --> 00:58:59,749
‐I can ́t comment
on whether or not

1031
00:58:59,749 --> 00:59:02,789
he ́s actually suffering
from dementia

1032
00:59:02,789 --> 00:59:06,419
or Alzheimer ́s or some form
of diminished capacity.

1033
00:59:06,419 --> 00:59:09,949
I just think that it ́s strange
that that months earlier

1034
00:59:09,949 --> 00:59:14,149
he was speaking at public events

1035
00:59:14,149 --> 00:59:15,789
and certainly before
the pandemic,

1036
00:59:15,789 --> 00:59:17,889
I would see him
frequently at events.

1037
00:59:17,889 --> 00:59:22,619
And I didn ́t have any sense
that he was suffering from any

1038
00:59:22,619 --> 00:59:24,249
kind of diminished capacity.

1039
00:59:24,249 --> 00:59:46,449
♫♫

1040
00:59:46,449 --> 00:59:52,589
‐At the time that Tom Girardi ́s
firm Girardi Keese shuts down,

1041
00:59:52,589 --> 00:59:58,849
they have approximately
9,000 clients, 900 cases.

1042
00:59:58,849 --> 01:00:04,219
What happens to those clients,
those cases?

1043
01:00:04,219 --> 01:00:08,719
‐The California State Bar filed
charges against Tom Girardi

1044
01:00:08,719 --> 01:00:13,089
in late March.
That is pretty serious.

1045
01:00:13,089 --> 01:00:16,889
That ́s the beginning
of the disciplinary process

1046
01:00:16,889 --> 01:00:18,689
that ́s visible to the public.

1047
01:00:18,689 --> 01:00:27,489
♫♫

1048
01:00:27,489 --> 01:00:29,049
‐Day late and a dollar short,
right?

1049
01:00:29,049 --> 01:00:30,349
A day late and a dollar short

1050
01:00:30,349 --> 01:00:32,349
when the bar comes
and take somebody ́s license away

1051
01:00:32,349 --> 01:00:35,149
after there
have been allegations for years

1052
01:00:35,149 --> 01:00:37,719
and maybe that kind of action
should have taken place sooner.

1053
01:00:37,719 --> 01:01:08,449
♫♫

1054
01:01:08,449 --> 01:01:12,949
‐If you were to ask me in 2019
who would come out

1055
01:01:12,949 --> 01:01:17,089
paying whom and this divorce,
I ́d probably say

1056
01:01:17,089 --> 01:01:19,419
that Erika would be getting
a lot of money from Tom.

1057
01:01:19,419 --> 01:01:21,989
But at this point,
she ́s earning more than Tom is

1058
01:01:21,989 --> 01:01:24,689
and she probably has
more assets than he does.

1059
01:01:24,689 --> 01:01:27,489
So I don ́t know
how she ́s going to fare

1060
01:01:27,489 --> 01:01:29,819
in the litigation
surrounding Tom,

1061
01:01:29,819 --> 01:01:33,849
that she could come out on top
or she could get dragged in

1062
01:01:33,849 --> 01:01:35,649
and end up
in a whole lot of debt.

1063
01:01:35,649 --> 01:01:39,589
♫♫

1064
01:01:43,319 --> 01:01:49,989
♫♫

1065
01:01:49,989 --> 01:01:52,819
‐What do I think, of Erika now?

1066
01:01:52,819 --> 01:01:56,189
Um, you know, the whole, like,

1067
01:01:56,189 --> 01:02:01,249
empowerment of having an alter ego...

1068
01:02:01,249 --> 01:02:03,449
I thought was cool
in the beginning.

1069
01:02:05,689 --> 01:02:11,319
But now realizing that not only
were they spending the money

1070
01:02:11,319 --> 01:02:13,219
that came from tragedy,

1071
01:02:13,219 --> 01:02:16,749
but Tom was taking money
that didn ́t belong to him

1072
01:02:16,749 --> 01:02:19,219
and they were parading it around
for everyone to see.

1073
01:02:19,219 --> 01:02:22,649
It ́s out ‐‐ it ́s outrageous.
Doesn ́t look good.

1074
01:02:22,649 --> 01:02:27,289
‐This season on "The Real
Housewives of Beverly Hills."

1075
01:02:27,289 --> 01:02:30,749
‐With any of the lawsuits, like,
did you have a heads up,

1076
01:02:30,749 --> 01:02:35,389
is that why you got divorced?
‐No, I did not.

1077
01:02:35,389 --> 01:02:39,149
‐I can ́t believe that Erika
puts herself in positions

1078
01:02:39,149 --> 01:02:40,789
to be asked those questions.

1079
01:02:40,789 --> 01:02:42,649
And I most certainly
can ́t believe

1080
01:02:42,649 --> 01:02:44,989
that she ́s actually
answering them.

1081
01:02:44,989 --> 01:02:49,849
‐No one knows
the answer but him.

1082
01:02:49,849 --> 01:02:51,649
‐Tom had a lot of companies,

1083
01:02:51,649 --> 01:02:53,749
Girardi Financial
is one of them.

1084
01:02:53,749 --> 01:02:57,889
He had Erika Girardi
on that company,

1085
01:02:57,889 --> 01:02:59,889
Erika ́s name being on
one of these businesses,

1086
01:02:59,889 --> 01:03:03,249
it would definitely raise
questions as to what she knew,

1087
01:03:03,249 --> 01:03:04,949
whether she benefited from this,

1088
01:03:04,949 --> 01:03:07,989
what she ́s received
in that capacity.

1089
01:03:07,989 --> 01:03:09,719
I think that the trustees

1090
01:03:09,719 --> 01:03:12,449
are going to be
looking really hard at this.

1091
01:03:12,449 --> 01:03:16,219
And they ́ve hired attorneys,
retired law firms,

1092
01:03:16,219 --> 01:03:19,619
to dig into Erika Girardi
specifically.

1093
01:03:19,619 --> 01:03:21,689
‐I ́m dying to know what she did
with all her clothes

1094
01:03:21,689 --> 01:03:23,189
and her jewelry.

1095
01:03:23,189 --> 01:03:25,789
On the show,
we see these possessions.

1096
01:03:25,789 --> 01:03:28,889
Oh, that handbag is worth $4,000
and this Cartier ring

1097
01:03:28,889 --> 01:03:31,049
is worth $170,000.

1098
01:03:31,049 --> 01:03:34,019
And oh, those, I know that
Chanel thing ́s a classic

1099
01:03:34,019 --> 01:03:37,189
and they could go now
"Where is all this stuff?"

1100
01:03:37,189 --> 01:03:49,819
♫♫

1101
01:03:49,819 --> 01:03:54,149
‐Erika Jayne ́s defense
is that many of these things

1102
01:03:54,149 --> 01:03:58,589
were gifts to her
and thus separate property.

1103
01:03:58,589 --> 01:04:04,649
I ́m not sure that that, as a
legal proposition, wins the day.

1104
01:04:04,649 --> 01:04:08,349
And I guess we ́ll see.

1105
01:04:08,349 --> 01:04:09,749
‐Tom and Erika,

1106
01:04:09,749 --> 01:04:13,149
they ́re stuck together
in these bankruptcy proceedings.

1107
01:04:13,149 --> 01:04:16,519
A lot of these debts that they
owe in bankruptcy proceedings,

1108
01:04:16,519 --> 01:04:18,719
they owe together,
possibly.

1109
01:04:18,719 --> 01:04:20,289
It ́s going to be hard
for her to say

1110
01:04:20,289 --> 01:04:22,649
that she didn ́t know
anything was going on.

1111
01:04:22,649 --> 01:04:25,049
‐It ́s complicated,
because under the law,

1112
01:04:25,049 --> 01:04:27,489
Erika has not been charged
with anything.

1113
01:04:27,489 --> 01:04:31,589
All of her legal issues are sort
of tied around to Tom Girardi.

1114
01:04:31,589 --> 01:04:35,049
‐Erika Jayne is still housewives

1115
01:04:35,049 --> 01:04:39,849
and he ́s still having cameras
follow her around.

1116
01:04:39,849 --> 01:04:42,919
If any lawyer
is now transcribing

1117
01:04:42,919 --> 01:04:46,419
every single episode
of "The Real Housewives,"

1118
01:04:46,419 --> 01:04:52,349
you know, documenting all of
the wealth, all of the property.

1119
01:04:52,349 --> 01:04:56,319
It just doesn ́t make
a lot of sense to me.

1120
01:04:56,319 --> 01:04:58,089
‐People like to see the demise.

1121
01:04:58,089 --> 01:05:02,089
They want to see
that less glammed‐up face.

1122
01:05:02,089 --> 01:05:03,749
They want to see her
defend herself.

1123
01:05:03,749 --> 01:05:07,719
They want to see her roll around
on a bed and cry.

1124
01:05:07,719 --> 01:05:11,189
‐Erika Jayne is a very
strong woman, I can tell.

1125
01:05:11,189 --> 01:05:13,349
And she ́s a warrior
and she ́s a bitch.

1126
01:05:13,349 --> 01:05:15,819
So am I.
It ́s fine to be a bitch.

1127
01:05:15,819 --> 01:05:19,149
She knows her mind.
She has a lot to say about it.

1128
01:05:19,149 --> 01:05:24,149
But my advice to her would be,
shut up, sit down, pay attention

1129
01:05:24,149 --> 01:05:27,589
to what ́s going on in your case.
And don ́t worry about TV.

1130
01:05:27,589 --> 01:05:35,349
♫♫

1131
01:05:35,349 --> 01:05:39,389
‐I ́m an enigma
wrapped in a riddle and cash.

1132
01:05:39,389 --> 01:05:41,419
‐I ́ve never seen
that first episode.

1133
01:05:41,419 --> 01:05:44,649
I don ́t think anyone ́s even
sent me a clip of it before.

1134
01:05:44,649 --> 01:05:49,719
‐Going from nothing
to everything is pretty amazing.

1135
01:05:49,719 --> 01:05:52,549
Being broke sucks and being rich
is a lot better.

1136
01:05:52,549 --> 01:05:55,489
‐Oh.
‐Well.

1137
01:05:55,489 --> 01:05:58,989
‐Fun days ahead, for Erika.
‐Yeah.

1138
01:05:58,989 --> 01:06:02,249
‐I need therapy now.
‐[ Laughs ]

1139
01:06:02,249 --> 01:06:03,819
‐[ Laughing ] I ́m serious.

1140
01:06:06,589 --> 01:06:14,989
♫♫

1141
01:06:14,989 --> 01:06:17,889
‐Girardi said, you know, like we
were his favorite clients

1142
01:06:17,889 --> 01:06:20,249
and I definitely never wanted
to be his favorite client,

1143
01:06:20,249 --> 01:06:22,349
you know, but I definitely
want to be the client

1144
01:06:22,349 --> 01:06:24,719
he never forgets because

1145
01:06:24,719 --> 01:06:27,489
he is not going to do this
to anybody else.

1146
01:06:27,489 --> 01:06:29,989
And he should have
never done it to me.

1147
01:06:29,989 --> 01:06:33,119
He shouldn ́t have
underestimated me.

1148
01:06:33,119 --> 01:06:36,119
‐Moms are just
unsung heroes of society.

1149
01:06:36,119 --> 01:06:39,119
I mean, we know
we ́re the ass‐kickers.

1150
01:06:39,119 --> 01:06:42,849
we just do it
because we love our kids.

1151
01:06:42,849 --> 01:06:47,989
I mean, there ́s nothing a mom
wouldn ́t do for their child.

1152
01:06:47,989 --> 01:07:06,219
♫♫

1153
01:07:06,219 --> 01:07:10,149
‐Scars tighten over time.

1154
01:07:10,149 --> 01:07:13,049
When I look
in the mirror, I see.

1155
01:07:13,049 --> 01:07:16,689
Someone has been through a lot
surgeries will have to go on

1156
01:07:16,689 --> 01:07:19,219
for the rest of my life.
I ́ve already accepted it.

1157
01:07:19,219 --> 01:07:22,519
I treat it like a challenge
at this point.

1158
01:07:22,519 --> 01:07:23,689
I trust that my will

1159
01:07:23,689 --> 01:07:26,149
could handle anything
that gets thrown my way.

1160
01:07:26,149 --> 01:07:28,189
So, when I look in the mirror,

1161
01:07:28,189 --> 01:07:31,389
I ́m actually not bothered
at all.

1162
01:07:31,389 --> 01:07:34,689
As far as all worried about the
scars, would I hide ́em?

1163
01:07:34,689 --> 01:07:36,489
I wear them with pride.

1164
01:07:39,549 --> 01:09:05,089
♫♫