Erika Jayne Loses SLAPP Appeal in $18 Mil Designer Lawsuit
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Reality TV star Erika Jayne has reportedly faced a setback in her legal battle with designer Christopher Psaila from Marco Marco.

RHOBH's Erika Jayne Loses Appeal in $18 Million Lawsuit From Designer as Settlement Negotiations Continue in $25 Million Lawsuit From Tom Girardi's Bankruptcy Trustee

Credit: filmDIGITALS//MEGA

According to updates shared by attorney Ronald Richards, the 54-year-old star of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills is expected to engage in oral arguments over an $18 million lawsuit. The case accuses her of falsely alleging that Psaila racked up almost $800,000 in fraudulent charges on her credit card.

“It’s a tough break for Erika Girardi,” Ronald revealed on October 15. “In the California lawsuit filed by Marco Marco’s Christopher Psaila, progress was delayed because Erika contested the rejection of her SLAPP motion. However, the 9th Circuit Court has now decided that such appeals cannot proceed before trial.”

Fans of RHOBH might recall that another designer from Marco Marco, Marco Morante, initiated a similar lawsuit against Erika in Florida. Earlier this year, reports emerged that she was potentially facing a $300,000 default judgment related to that case.

As RHOBH fans may know, Marco Marco’s other designer, Marco Morante, filed a case against Erika in Florida. And earlier this year, it was reported that she was facing a $300,000 default judgment in the suit.

Ronald also noted that the appellants’ motion for a separate oral argument had been granted.

“Both cases, No. 24-2580 and No. 24-1433, are hereby removed from the June 5, 2025 Pasadena calendar and will be held in abeyance pending issuance of the mandate in Gopher Media LLC, et al. v. Melone, et al., No. 24-2626. The mandate will issue shortly and the Court will now set a trial in that case as well,” his message concluded. 

Ronald Richards Offers Update on Erika jayne's Lawsuit With Designer

In another post, shared at the end of last month, Ronald revealed that Erika was “desperately trying to settle” the $25 million lawsuit filed against her by Thomas Girardi‘s bankruptcy trustee, which is expected to go to trial on February 10, 2026.

“She had a full day of mediation on September 22, 2025, and it has been reset for October 7, 2025. Maybe she will finally cough up some money,” he shared.

Then, on October 9, he told his followers that settlement negotiations were ongoing.

“Erika can either roll the dice and risk insolvency or work out a principled settlement,” he explained. “The defense of Girardi kept the books and she didn’t know about the ledger or the account was named to her LLC so she gets a pass is a loser. She received $25m for nothing. Funds received like this gets clawed back in a bankruptcy case. Her state of mind is irrelevant.”

RHOBH Erika Jayne is Desperately Trying to Settle Lawsuit With Designer

Erika was sued in 2021 by the trustee, who alleged that she received, via her company, funds from the now-incarcerated Thomas, 86, that were meant for former clients of his law firm, Girardi Keese.

In one further message, Ronald responded to an X user who wondered why Erika hadn’t been charged with “receiving stolen property in forms of money.”

“She [didn’t] receive property,” he replied on October 12. “They bought things for her and [paid] bills for her. There is no way to prove she knew that her husband was stealing the money and you don’t need to work that hard on a fraudulent conveyance. You just have to prove that she didn’t give anything for the money.”

Why RHOBH Erika Jayne isn't Being Charged With Receiving Stolen Property

The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills season 15 is expected to premiere on Bravo sometime later this year or early next year.

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