Erika Jayne's Estranged Husband Tom Girardi Testifies In Trial: 'Be Nice To Me'

"Every single client -- and I swear to you -- got every single penny that they were supposed to get," the now-disbarred lawyer told the courtroom.

Tom Girardi took the witness stand on Thursday to testify in his own defense.

It is the first time, the 85-year-old spoke publicly about allegations made against him and his law firm, Girardi Keese. The trial stems from accusations he embezzled more than $15 million from his clients. He's also accused of stealing an additional $3 million from plane crash victims in Chicago, while going through his divorce from Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star Erika Jayne .

Girardi was then diagnosed in 2021 with Alzheimer's and dementia with a clinical psychiatrist initially deeming him unable to attend court "for the foreseeable future." However, he was cleared to stand trial after a Los Angeles federal judge declared him competent last year per The Associated Press .

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While addressing the courtroom this week, Girardi asserted, "Every client got every penny that every client was supposed to get," per LA Times . The outlet noted his hands were "trembling" as he sat on the stand for 45 minutes.

Girardi was reportedly quizzed on the happenings at his now-closed firm and spoke about his past cases, which include the suit against Pacific Gas & Electric featured in Erin Brockovich -- and reportedly mentioned the film's star, Julia Roberts, by name. He also told the courtroom he became a lawyer to help "people who have been harmed" and insisted he never took a salary.

"I wanted more and more [of] the money to go to the wonderful people who worked there," he said, per the publication, and reportedly shifted any blame to his chief financial officer, Chris Kamon.

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He then sat through cross-examination, where he was tested on the specific cases he is accused of stealing settlement funds from, demanding Assistant U.S. Atty. Ali Moghaddas to "be nice to me."

Girardi suggested that in one case he withheld settlement funds because the client had a drug problem. He was then pressed about a client who claimed he "didn't get a nickel" owed to her, where Girardi insisted he was unaware of it adding, "The last thing I was going to do was take somebody’s money for my own benefit."

When asked about whether he purchased jewelry for his now-estranged wife Erika -- a topic that made headlines around the world and became a storyline for RHOBH -- he reportedly said: "Every client got every penny that every client was supposed to get," he testified.

"Every single client -- and I swear to you -- got every single penny that they were supposed to get," he added.

To the jury, he also said, "I don't want to persuade them to believe me, I want them to believe me."

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Jayne and Girardi have been separated since November 2020. The reality star has been distancing herself from her estranged husband and trying to rebuild her personal brand separately from his legal troubles.

The downfall of the once influential lawyer was seen throughout RHOBH, which focused on how the legal issues affected Jayne's mental health. The star opened up about the suicidal thoughts she experienced in her Bravo documentary Erika Jayne: Bet It All on Blonde .

Jayne also sat down with the defrauded victims in the documentary The Housewife and The Hustler 2: The Reckoning .

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