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Thomas Vincent Girardi, the former "Housewives" husband and disgraced lawyer, was declared competent to stand trial, paving the way for the 84-year-old to go before a jury for allegedly embezzling more than $15 million from legal clients.
Following a three-day competency hearing, Judge Josephine L. Staton of the Central District of California announced her decision in a docket entry, filing an "order finding defendant competent to stand trial."
Judge Staton said that her full order was filed under seal and attorneys have been given five days to identify to the judge which portions of the ruling should remain sealed.
Thomas Vincent Girardi, the former "Housewives" husband and disgraced lawyer, was declared competent to stand trial for allegedly embezzling more than $15 million from clients. (AP Images)
Girardi — the estranged husband of "Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" star Erika Jayne — was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease in 2021 and now resides in the memory ward of an Orange County nursing home.
‘REAL HOUSEWIVES’ STAR ERIKA JAYBE DISMISSED FROM EMBEZZLEMENT, FRAUD LAWSUIT: COURT DOCUMENTS
At issue in the competency hearing was whether Girardi understood the charges and proceedings against him and could help with his own defense. His lawyers argued that he was unable to take part in the trial due to Alzheimer’s, which they said has left him confused and with memory problems. Prosecutors maintained that Girardi was exaggerating his symptoms.
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The former prominent lawyer is facing multiple counts of wire fraud, a crime carrying a potential prison sentence of up to 20 years on each count.
Thomas Girardi, the estranged husband of pop singer and "Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" star Erika Jayne, was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease in 2021. (YouTube/Bravo)
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The charges stem from Girardi's illustrious career of owning an LA-based law firm, Girardi & Keese, for decades. The former attorney has been accused of embezzling millions from clients in a span of 10 years, ending in December 2020.
Girardi pleaded not guilty in Los Angeles last year to wire fraud on charges that he embezzled from clients, including an Arizona widow whose husband was killed in a boat accident; a Los Angeles couple injured in a car wreck that paralyzed their son; and a man who was severely burned in the 2010 San Bruno gas pipeline explosion.
Girardi also faces federal wire fraud charges in Chicago, where he is accused of stealing about $3 million from family members of victims of a 2018 Lion Air crash that killed 189 people. The Chicago court is expected to follow the competency decision in California.
Thomas Girardi was once an esteemed lawyer and handled cases against PG&E, LA County Metro and Lockheed. (Jim Steinfeldt)
During Girardi’s rise to become one of the nation’s most prominent plaintiff’s attorneys, he took on powerful corporations, movie studios and Pacific Gas and Electric, in a case that led to a $333 million settlement, which was portrayed in the 2000 Julia Roberts film "Erin Brockovich."
Despite being a successful lawyer at the time, his law empire started to spiral amid ongoing legal issues.
He was disbarred from the State Bar of California in July 2022.
Girardi’s attorney could not immediately be reached for comment.
Erika Jayne filed for divorce from Thomas Girardi in November 2020. ( Jen Lowery/MEGA/GC Images/Irfan Khan/Los Angeles Times)
Jayne filed for divorce from Girardi in November 2020 after 20 years of marriage. In August 2022, Jayne won a $5 million fraud lawsuit that was filed against her by two of her estranged husband's former colleagues in 2020. Attorneys Philip R. Sheldon and Robert P. Finn had accused the reality star of "aiding and abetting" Girardi in his alleged crimes.
However, Los Angeles Judge Richard Fruin ruled that Sheldon and Finn could not prove that Jayne was involved in "any wrongdoing," the pop singer's lawyer Evan C. Borges told Page Six at the time.
During a May 2022 appearance on "Watch What Happens Live," Jayne told host Andy Cohen that Girardi was living in a memory care facility and his condition had continued to deteriorate.
"I can only say decline and further decline, it will not get better," she said.
Jayne explained that Girardi still called her, but their conversations only lasted "about 5 seconds."
'He thinks he's still practicing law," she said.
In August 2022, Erika Jayne won a $5 million lawsuit after being accused of "aiding and abetting" her estranged husband's alleged crimes. (Photo by Amy Sussman/Getty Images)
In October, Jayne confirmed that she had not yet finalized her divorce from Girardi.
"In the order of all of the problems I'm facing, it's probably the absolute last thing," Jayne told Entertainment Tonight. "I just don't think about it."
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"The day I filed for divorce and we were legally separated, that was it for me," she added. "We are in very different places. I have a lot to clean up and pick up and move on."
Fox News' Tracy Wright and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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