{{Short description|American disbarred attorney (born 1939)}} {{Infobox person | name = Tom Girardi | image = | birth_name = Thomas Vincent Girardi | birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1939|6|3|mf=y}} | birth_place = Denver, Colorado, US | occupation = Lawyer | education = Loyola Marymount University (BA, JD)<br />New York University School of Law (LLM) | spouse = {{plainlist| * {{Marriage|Karen Weitzul|1964|1983|end=divorced}} * {{Marriage|Kathy Risner|1993|1998|end=divorced}} * {{Marriage|Erika Girardi|2000|2020|end=sep.}} }} }} '''Thomas Vincent Girardi''' (born June 3, 1939) is an American former attorney and co-founder of Girardi & Keese,<ref name=autogenerated1 /> a now-defunct downtown Los Angeles law firm.
He was disbarred in 2022 after accusations of defrauding clients.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-02-01 |title=Tom Girardi, disgraced L.A. lawyer and 'Real Housewives' spouse, indicted on fraud charges |url=https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2023-02-01/tom-girardi-indictment-la-lawyer |access-date=2023-02-02 |website=Los Angeles Times |language=en-US}}</ref> In August 2024, he was found guilty of stealing tens of millions of dollars from his clients, and was sentenced in May 2025 to an 87-month prison term. He faces another trial in 2025 in Chicago on similar charges of fraud.
He is separated from his third wife, the performer Erika Jayne, with whom he occasionally appeared on ''The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills'' in their Pasadena mansion.
== Education == Girardi, known as Tom, graduated from Loyola High School in 1957.<ref>[http://www.the-tidings.com/2004/1008/olaalum.htm Alum gives Loyola HS $1 million | The-Tidings.com<!-- Bot generated title -->] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081012050236/http://www.the-tidings.com/2004/1008/olaalum.htm |date=2008-10-12 }}</ref> He received his undergraduate degree from Loyola Marymount University in 1961, his J.D. degree from Loyola Law School in 1964, and an LL.M. from New York University in 1965.
==Legal career==
In 1970, Girardi became the first attorney in the state of California to win a $1 million-plus award for a medical malpractice case. Girardi has handled major cases against Boeing, Merck, Lockheed Corp (now Lockheed Martin), Pacific Gas & Electric, Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority and Hollywood's seven major movie studios.<ref name="autogenerated1" />
In the case against Pacific Gas & Electric, the utility company in 1996 agreed to pay $460 million to 650 residents of the desert community of Hinkley, California.<ref>[http://www.lawbuzz.com/famous_trials/erin_brockovich/erin_brockovich_ch1.htm lawbuzz.com]</ref> The residents blamed incidents of cancer and other diseases on contaminated water leaked from a gas pumping station.<ref name="autogenerated1">[http://www.girardikeese.com/Attorneys/Thomas-V-Girardi.shtml Girardi & Keese member bio]</ref> The story of activist Erin Brockovich's work in Hinkley and the lawyers who backed her led to the 2000 film ''Erin Brockovich''.<ref>{{Cite web |last= |first= |date=June 10, 2021 |title=Erin Brockovich: the real story of the town three decades later |url=https://abcnews.go.com/US/erin-brockovich-real-story-town-decades/story?id=78180219 |access-date=2024-03-30 |website=ABC News |language=en}}</ref> Girardi is thanked in the credits and served as an adviser to the filmmakers.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Goldstein |first=Matthew |date=January 13, 2021 |title=A Hall of Fame Lawyer, a 'Real Housewife' and a Stunning Fall |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/13/business/erin-brockovich-thomas-girardi-boeing.html |access-date=January 29, 2024 |website=The New York Times}}</ref>
He was the first trial lawyer to be appointed to the California Judicial Council, the policymaking body of the state courts.<ref name=GirardiTop2018/>
Girardi was known for his work in Democratic party politics, donating millions of dollars to campaigns, playing a role in fundraising events, and giving advice to governors regarding judicial appointments.<ref name=Ryan>{{cite news |last1=Ryan |first1=Harriet |last2=Hamilton |first2=Matt |date=March 6, 2021 |title=Vegas parties, celebrities and boozy lunches: How legal titan Tom Girardi seduced the State Bar |url=https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2021-03-06/how-california-state-bar-enabled-tom-girardi |work=Los Angeles Times |access-date=March 7, 2021}}</ref> In January 2021, he was removed from California Governor Gavin Newsom's Judicial Selection Advisory Committee, which vets judges for the state bench.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Lowrey |first=Brandon |title=Girardi's Legacy In Shambles Amid 'Shakespearean' Scandal |url=https://www.law360.com/pulse/articles/1349235/girardi-s-legacy-in-shambles-amid-shakespearean-scandal |access-date=2024-03-30 |website=www.law360.com |language=en}}</ref>
===Legal issues and disbarment===
In December 2020, a federal judge in Chicago froze Girardi's assets, ruling that he had "misappropriated at least $2 million in client funds that were due to the families of those killed" in the Boeing 737 MAX Lion Air Flight 610 crash in Indonesia.<ref>{{Cite web |last1=Hamilton |first1=Matt |last2=Ryan |first2=Harriet |date=2020-12-14 |title=Judge freezes assets of famed L.A. lawyer Tom Girardi, citing millions unpaid to clients |url=https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2020-12-14/judge-freezes-assets-lawyer-tom-girardi-cites-millions-unpaid-to-clients |access-date=2023-06-30 |website=Los Angeles Times |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Seidel |first=Jon |date=2020-12-02 |title='Real Housewives' star Erika Jayne accused in scheme to embezzle from Lion Air settlements |url=https://chicago.suntimes.com/2020/12/2/22074282/real-housewives-star-erika-jayne-accused-scheme-embezzle-lion-air-settlements-thomas-girardi |access-date=2023-06-30 |website=Chicago Sun-Times |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Barker |first=Anne |date=2021-06-04 |title=Having sued for compensation after a plane crash, these families noticed money was missing. Then they saw their lawyer on The Real Housewives |language=en-AU |work=ABC News |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-06-05/claims-us-lawyer-embezzled-millions-from-indonesian-client-funds/100181262 |access-date=2023-06-30}}</ref>
No one from the Girardi Keese law firm, including Girardi, appeared at the first bankruptcy hearing, in January 2021, for two Chapter 7 involuntary bankruptcy petitions filed in December 2020.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Bronstad |first=Amanda |date=January 5, 2021 |title=At 1st Bankruptcy Hearing, Embattled Attorney Tom Girardi Is a No-Show |url=https://www.law.com/therecorder/2021/01/05/at-first-bankruptcy-hearing-embattled-attorney-tom-girardi-is-a-no-show/ |access-date=2023-06-30 |website=The Recorder |language=en}}</ref> The shuttered Wilshire Boulevard firm faces more than $500 million in claims as of January 2024.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-01-06 |title=LA federal judge says Tom Girardi feigning mental illness |url=https://www.dailynews.com/2024/01/05/la-federal-judge-says-tom-girardi-feigning-mental-illness/ |access-date=2024-03-30 |website=Daily News |language=en-US}}</ref>
In March 2021, the ''Los Angeles Times'' reported that Girardi had been sued more than 100 times. Multiple complaints had been filed against him with the State Bar of California. Nevertheless, his Bar license had remained pristine, it was alleged, due to improper relationships between Girardi and Bar officials.<ref name=Ryan /> Many of the Bar complaints involved alleged financial malfeasance, including allegations of theft by two dozen women who won $17 million in a lawsuit claiming that hormone replacement therapy caused their cancer along with the alleged misappropriation of millions of dollars in a burn victim lawsuit.<ref name=Ryan /><ref name=Hamilton>{{cite news |last1=Hamilton |first1=Matt |last2=Ryan |first2=Harriet |date=December 17, 2020 |title=The legal titan and the 'Real Housewife': The rise and fall of Tom Girardi and Erika Jayne |url=https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2020-12-17/tom-girardi-erika-jayne-rhobh-divorce |work=Los Angeles Times |access-date=March 7, 2021}}</ref>
On March 9, 2021, the State Bar of California changed Girardi's status to "not eligible to practice law" in California.<ref name="apps.calbar.ca.gov">{{Cite web|url=https://apps.calbar.ca.gov/attorney/Licensee/Detail/36603|title=Thomas Vincent Girardi # 36603 - Attorney Licensee Search}}</ref> On June 1, 2022, a court ordered Girardi disbarred and to pay $2.3 million in restitution<ref>{{Cite web |last=Cutler |first=Joyce E. |date=June 2, 2022 |title=Tom Girardi Disbarred, Court Orders $2.3 Million Restitution (1) |url=https://news.bloomberglaw.com/legal-ethics/tom-girardi-disbarred-court-orders-2-3-million-restitution |access-date=2023-06-30 |website=Bloomberg Law |language=en}}</ref> and the State Bar of California changed his status to "disbarred."<ref name="apps.calbar.ca.gov"/>
A February 2023 internal investigation conducted on the State Bar of California by an outside firm found that its employees had accepted gifts, travel, meals, and other items of value from Girardi & Keese,<ref name="Cutler 2023 l905">{{cite web | last=Cutler | first=Joyce E. | title=Girardi Probe Shows Internally Corrupt California State Bar | website=Bloomberg Law News | date=2023-03-13 | url=https://news.bloomberglaw.com/us-law-week/girardi-probe-reveals-an-internally-corrupt-california-state-bar | access-date=2024-02-08}}</ref> influencing the State Bar to block complaints against the law firm. The Bar disclosed that, across four decades, during which it had received 205 complaints against Girardi, the Bar took no action against the attorney and dismissed all cases.<ref name="Ryan Hamilton 2022 z165">{{cite web | last1=Ryan | first1=Harriet | last2=Hamilton | first2=Matt | title=Tom Girardi faced more than 150 complaints before State Bar took action, records show | website=Los Angeles Times | date=2022-11-03 | url=https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2022-11-03/california-state-bar-40-years-complaints-tom-girardi | access-date=2024-02-02}}</ref><ref name="Weiss 2023 d589">{{cite web | last=Weiss | first=Debra Cassens | title=State bar finds 'shocking past culture of unethical and unacceptable behavior' in its handling of Girardi complaints | website=ABA Journal | date=2023-03-13 | url=https://www.abajournal.com/web/article/state-bar-finds-shocking-past-culture-of-unethical-and-unacceptable-behavior-in-handling-of-girardi-complaints | access-date=2024-02-02}}</ref>
Girardi was tried in August 2024, when a federal court jury determined that Girardi was guilty of wire fraud and embezzling tens of millions from his clients.<ref>{{cite news |last=Mejia |first=Brittny |title=Tom Girardi found guilty of wire fraud: 'It wasn't a hard decision,' juror says |work=The Los Angeles Times |via=Yahoo! News |date=August 27, 2024 |access-date=2024-08-27 |url=https://www.yahoo.com/news/tom-girardi-found-guilty-wire-163827925.html}}</ref> He was sentenced in June 2025 to an 87-month prison term, in addition to being fined $35,000 and ordered to pay restitution of $2.3 million.<ref>{{cite news |last=Thomas |first=David |title=Lawyer Tom Girardi sentenced to 87 months in prison for wire fraud |work=Reuters |date=June 3, 2025 |access-date=June 5, 2025 |url=https://www.reuters.com/legal/government/lawyer-tom-girardi-sentenced-87-months-prison-wire-fraud-2025-06-03/ }}</ref> On July 17, 2025, Girardi surrendered at the Metropolitan Detention Center (MDC) in Los Angeles, California to begin serving his sentence. His Bureau of Prisons Register Number is 43156-510 and his expected release date is August 1, 2031, when he turns 92 years old.
===Awards and their revocation=== Girardi received the “Distinguished Alumnus Award," “Champion of Justice” honor, and served on the faculty at Loyola Law School.<ref name=GirardiTop2018/> In addition, he endowed the Thomas V. Girardi Chair in Consumer Protection Law in 2012, and supported the construction of the Albert H. Girardi Advocacy Center named in his father's honor.<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite web |date=2012 |title=Loyola Lawyer |url=https://www.lls.edu/media/loyolalawschool/newsroom/newsitems/Loyola%20Lawyer%202012.pdf |access-date=March 30, 2024 |website=lls.edu}}</ref> In the wake of Girardi's legal troubles, the school removed his father's name from the Advocacy Center and no longer funds the Girardi Chair.<ref>{{Cite web |last=University |first=Loyola Marymount |title=Advocacy Center - Loyola Marymount University |url=https://www.lls.edu/thellsdifference/location/thecampus/advocacycenter/ |access-date=2024-03-30 |website=www.lls.edu |language=en}}</ref>
In 2003, Girardi was inducted into the Trial Lawyer Hall of Fame by the State Bar of California.<ref>Thomas V. Girardi. The Federalist Society. https://fedsoc.org/contributors/thomas-girardi</ref> The International Association of Top Professionals named Girardi the “Lawyer of the Decade” for 2018.<ref name=GirardiTop2018>Thomas Girardi Selected As Lawyer of the Decade. The International Association of Top Professionals. https://thenationaltriallawyers.org/article/thomas-girardi-selected-as-lawyer-of-the-decade/</ref>
In March 2021, the Consumer Attorneys Association of Los Angeles revoked its awards to Girardi, including the 1995 Trial Lawyer of the Year, and removed him from its hall of fame.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Cronin |first=Lindsay |date=2021-03-23 |title=RHOBH Attorney Thomas Girardi Stripped of Legal Awards and Removed From CAALA Hall of Fame for Failing to Uphold "Morals, Ethics, and Standards" of Association |url=https://realityblurb.com/2021/03/23/rhobh-attorney-thomas-girardi-stripped-of-legal-awards-and-removed-from-caala-hall-of-fame-for-failing-to-uphold-morals-ethics-and-standards-of-association/ |access-date=2024-03-30 |website=Reality Blurb |language=en-US}}</ref>
== Personal life == In August 1964, Girardi married his first wife Karen Weitzul. She filed for divorce in October 1983. Girardi married Kathy Risner in September 1993; she filed for divorce in January 1998.<ref>{{cite magazine|url= https://www.usmagazine.com/celebrity-news/pictures/tom-girardi-5-things-to-know-about-erika-jaynes-estranged-husband/1-he-is-one-of-the-attorneys-who-worked-with-erin-brockovich/|title=Tom Girardi: 5 Things to Know about Erika Jayne's Estranged Husband|accessdate=January 15, 2021}}</ref> Kathy died in May 2018.<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.weremember.com/kathy-risner/2s0h/memories|title=Kathy Risner Obituary|accessdate=March 3, 2022}}</ref>
In January 2000, 60-year-old Girardi married his third wife, 28-year-old singer and actress Erika Jayne, who later became known as a star of the reality-television series ''The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills''.<ref>{{cite magazine|url= https://www.usmagazine.com/celebrity-news/news/rhobhs-erika-jayne-is-unfazed-by-husband-tom-girardis-lawsuit/|title=RHOBH's Erika Jayne Is Unfazed by Husband Tom Girardi's $15 Million Lawsuit: 'It's Part of the Job'|first=Jessica |last=Vacco-Bolanos|magazine=Us Weekly|date=February 13, 2019|accessdate=November 4, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=Chen|first1=Joyce|title=Erika Jayne Joins Cast of ''Real Housewives of Beverly Hills'' for Season 6|url=http://www.usmagazine.com/celebrity-news/news/erika-jayne-joins-cast-of-real-housewives-of-beverly-hills-201588 |website=Us Weekly|date=August 8, 2015}}</ref> He appeared in several episodes of the show alongside his wife.<ref name=Ryan /><ref>{{Cite web|date=2020-11-13|title=RHOBH: A Look Into Erika Jayne's 'Unconventional' Marriage With Thomas Girardi|url=https://screenrant.com/real-housewives-beverly-hills-erika-jayne-marriage-divorce/|access-date=2021-05-03|website=ScreenRant|language=en-US}}</ref> In November 2020, Erika Girardi announced the couple had separated and that she had filed for divorce.<ref name=Hamilton /><ref>{{cite news |last1=Sobol |first1=Beth |last2=Williams |first2=Amanda |title=''Real Housewives of Beverly Hills''{{'}} Erika Jayne and Tom Girardi Break Up After 21 Years Together |url=https://www.eonline.com/news/1204649/real-housewives-of-beverly-hills-erika-jayne-and-tom-girardi-break-up-after-21-years-together |publisher=E! News |accessdate=November 3, 2020 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20201103172843/https://www.eonline.com/news/1204649/real-housewives-of-beverly-hills-erika-jayne-and-tom-girardi-break-up-after-21-years-together |archivedate=November 3, 2020 |location=United States |date=November 3, 2020 |url-status=live}}</ref>
In February 2021, Girardi was placed in a temporary conservatorship due to short-term memory loss,<ref name=Ryan /> and in March 2021, he was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Hamilton |first1=Matt |last2=Ryan |first2=Harriet |date=March 10, 2021 |title=Tom Girardi has Alzheimer's disease, psychiatrist tells L.A. court |url=https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2021-03-10/tom-girardi-has-alzheimers-disease-psychiatrist-tells-l-a-court |work=Los Angeles Times |access-date=March 11, 2021}}</ref> His brother, Robert, a dentist, was made permanent conservator in July 2021.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Cardoza |first=Riley |date=2021-07-14 |title=Erika Jayne's Ex Tom Girardi's Conservatorship Is Made Official |url=https://www.usmagazine.com/celebrity-news/news/erika-jaynes-ex-tom-girardis-conservatorship-is-made-official/ |access-date=2024-03-30 |website=Us Weekly |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Thompson |first=Eliza |date=2021-12-08 |title=Tom Girardi's Brother Will Represent Him in Erika Jayne Divorce |url=https://www.usmagazine.com/celebrity-news/news/tom-girardis-brother-will-represent-him-in-erika-jayne-divorce/ |access-date=2024-03-30 |website=Us Weekly |language=en-US}}</ref>
==References== <references/>
==External links== *{{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201203023836/https://girardikeese.com/gk-team/thomas-v-girardi/ |date=December 3, 2020 |title=Thomas Girardi Bio }} at ''Girardi & Keese'' website *{{IMDb name|nm5228475}}
{{Erika Jayne}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Girardi, Thomas}} Category:1939 births Category:Living people Category:Loyola Marymount University alumni Category:Loyola Law School alumni Category:People with Alzheimer's disease Category:Disbarred California lawyers Category:Lawyers from Denver Category:Lawyers from Los Angeles Category:Loyola High School (Los Angeles) alumni