Erika Jayne Wants To Bankruptcy Lawyer Removed After Alleged 'False, Inflammatory' Social Media Posts

Erika Jayne has asked the court to reconsider the appointment of Ronald Richards as a bankruptcy trustee lawyer in her estranged husband Tom Girardi's case, a report says.

In response to the attorney's claim that she wasn’t cooperating in the investigation, lawyers of the "Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" star insisted in new court documents obtained by People that she "has been and remains willing to cooperate fully with the Trustee's investigation in this bankruptcy of debtor Girardi & Keese."

Jayne's legal team requested the court to remove Richards from the case after he allegedly made "false and inflammatory social media posts and public statements" about her. She alleged that the attorney engaged in "vicious, conclusory, and speculative public vilification - all without evidence, which even if it existed, should and must be presented to and adjudicated by this Court."

Her lawyers also alleged that Richards "continued to harass" Jayne "publicly through extra-judicial statements, including social media" to his over 16,000 followers and that he gave YouTube interviews that harm the case, Page Six reported, citing the documents.

Richards responded to Jayne via a statement to People in which he called her motion a "Hollywood attempt to create a smoke screen to slow down our work." He also said his social media posts were protected by free speech.

"Had there been any restrictions by the Court on free speech, they would have been adhered to, as all court orders are by our office," he said in the statement, adding that the court rejected Jayne's team's request for a gag order and said during a recent hearing that he "has a right to express his views."

"We are representing the Trustee on a limited basis relating to Erika Jayne," Richards continued. "We only need to zealously pursue our client's litigation objectives which is to find the money and recover it. Attacking the Trustee's choice of counsel who is doing an effective job and working hard is a poorly designed strategy. The real issue is the large receivables to Erika Jayne and the money she is refusing to release or return, period."

This came after a motion filed earlier this week claimed Jayne was refusing to turn over "key financial documents" in Girardi and his law firm Girardi & Keese's bankruptcy case, People previously reported.

Girardi and his law firm were accused of embezzling funds from the families of the victims of a 2018 Boeing plane crash. He was later sued by his business partners, resulting in a chapter 7 bankruptcy petition in December 2020, a month after Jayne filed for divorce.

The bankruptcy trustee investigating Girardi's assets allegedly found that Jayne's businesses "have received over $20 million" in loans from her estranged husband's law firm, the outlet said in another report, citing documents.

Richards told Page Six Friday, "Not a single professional of Erika’s has cooperated with our office regarding the Girardi Keese estate. We have filed numerous motions seeking documents and communications. This motion is designed to slow down our work. The Thomas Girardi estate is moving for relief from stay to pursue her in state court. This does not look like cooperation."

Richards also said it was "laughable" that his 16,000 followers on social media, compared to Jayne's 417,000 followers, "would have an impact on anything."

"The first amendment does not leave itself in the doorways of the courthouse and the motion is a transparent attempt to interfere with the Trustee’s choice of counsel. These first amendment arguments were previously raised by her other counsel and rejected. No gag order was issued. Simply submitting innocuous and inadmissible hearsay comments on publicly filed documents does not create any relevant or actionable information," he continued.

On Wednesday's episode of "The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills," Jayne said her life had "drastically changed" and that she had to let go of her Lambhorgini, 16,000-square-foot home and marriage.

"I let go of everything. I literally made a decision that I had to," she said, adding that she allegedly filed for divorce from Girardi because he "pushed me further and further out."