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A former ex-girlfriend of Thomas Girardi, retired judge Tricia A. Bigelow, has turned over more jewelry to be auctioned off amid his ongoing bankruptcy proceedings.
As Thomas’ estranged wife, Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star Erika Jayne, attempts to reclaim the $750,000 earrings he bought her in 2007 after being forced to turn them over to his bankruptcy trustee, three new items could soon be added to the auction list.
According to an October 7 report from Law and Crime, the trustee presiding over the bankruptcy case of Thomas’ defunct law firm, Girardi Keese, has requested an amendment to the list that will include the recently obtained items: a Cartier-brand watch, a necklace, and a bracelet estimated to be worth between $6,500 to $9,500.
“The Friend had found some additional pieces of jewelry in the back of her closet and was subsequently delivered to the Trustee three additional items—all Cartier, a watch, a Love necklace and a Love bracelet,” the trustee wrote in court documents. “The Trustee was not aware at the time she prepared the Application or at the time she submitted the Original Order on the Application of the Friend’s Additional Jewelry.”
Because Erika is appealing the judge’s ruling regarding the submission of her earrings, it is not yet known whether or not they will be a part of the upcoming auction, which has not yet been scheduled. But, if they are, they are expected to bring over $1 million, which will go towards the repaying of Thomas’ many creditors and lenders, who are allegedly owed upward of $500 million.
The outlet went on to note that the unnamed “friend” already turned in three necklaces, a Cartier, a Tiffany and a Bulgari, and a pair of diamond earrings, all of which are believed to be worth around $10,000 or $15,000, in total.
Although the “friend” was not confirmed to be Tricia, it was alleged in September that Thomas had given her $300,000 to put towards a Santa Monica condo.
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According to an additional report from Los Angeles Times on October 7, the State Bar of California has changed their tune about keeping complaints filed against Thomas private. In a court filing last Friday, the Bar responded to a case brought against them by The Times, who sought access to the decades of complaints filed against the now-disbarred attorney in June 2021, saying they were abandoning their opposition to the release of the previously confidential information.
In the filing, attorneys for the Bar, which faced backlash for its handling of the complaints against Thomas, said the release of the records was “more consistent with its current understanding of its public protection mission and policy of transparency.”
“Given Mr. Girardi’s disbarment and the growing publicly available information about his conduct, the Chair and Chief Trial Counsel have now determined, in the exercise of our discretion, that release of the information is warranted for the protection of the public,” Ruben Duran, chair of the State Bar’s Board of Trustees, said in a statement.
In the case they filed against the Bar last year, The Times cited a statute that allows the Bar to publicly reveal information that would typically be kept private if it was “warranted for public protection.”
“Girardi’s influence over the California legal profession and the massive scope of his alleged misconduct already demands maximum transparency,” attorneys for The Times said in brief. “But Girardi’s unusually close connections with State Bar officials while the agency took no action against him for many years makes this a clear-cut instance where disclosure is warranted to promote ‘public confidence in the discipline system’s exercise of self-regulation.’”
Although the Bar was initially against releasing the complaint details, saying the statute didn’t apply because Thomas’ cases had already been closed, they reassessed the situation after a new top prosecutor and board chair were brought to the organization.
As for when the complaints will be accessible to the public, The Times said the Bar agreed to release the information within 30 days, as long as there is no interference from the Supreme Court.
The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills season 12 reunion begins airing on Wednesday, October 12, at 8/7c on Bravo.
