Erika Jayne Wins Appeal, But Won’t Get Infamous Diamond Earrings Back (Yet)
Reality star Erika Jayne won a small legal victory earlier this month, but she’s not getting her infamous diamond earrings back just yet.
Erika’s estranged husband, attorney Thomas Girardi, originally bought the earrings for $750,000 in 2007, though the jewelry is reportedly worth $1.4 million nowadays. He subsequently gifted them to Erika, whom he married in 2000.
However, when Thomas’ financial crimes started being exposed in 2020, the earrings became a source of contention, as he was accused of buying them with stolen funds from clients.
It was argued the earring should be considered part of Thomas’ estate and thus taken into custody, before being sold off and used to repay Thomas’ debts. Conversely, Erika has argued that the earrings were a gift and she wasn’t aware of her husband’s crimes, so she should be allowed to keep them.
Eventually, the earrings were seized along with a variety of assets from Girardi’s estate as the investigation into his wrongdoings were furthered. In 2022, Thomas was disbarred and ordered to pay $2.3 million in restitution.
In October, it was reported the diamond earrings were set to go up for auction in December.
“They are quite possibly the most talked about jewelry in the world at the moment, which adds kind of an unknown excitement and interest factor,” Stephen Swan, the vice president of John Moran Auctioneers, told Page Six.
“We haven’t established a starting bid yet, but because it’s a court-ordered sale, the starting bid is going to be very attractive,” he continued.
The earrings were eventually bought by Ronald Richards’ wife for $250,000.
However, the Richards family may not have the earrings in their possession for very long. According to recent reports, Erika won an appeal in May, in which the court agreed Thomas’ estate “failed to show” the earrings were a part of his estate property.
The estate’s trustee was told they need to produce further evidence to prove the earrings were a part of Thomas’ assets. Otherwise, a court could deem the auction sale unlawful, and Erika could see the jewelry returned to her possession.
“The trustee needs to resubmit a more robust financial showing supporting the claim that the asset belongs to the estate,” court documents reveal, Yahoo reports.
Erika believes the court will side in her favor, as she already took to Instagram to brag about being allowed to “keep” the jewelry. However, a final decision from the court is still pending depending on what evidence is produced.
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