Erika Jayne, star of Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, is currently under a great deal of stress as she juggles both personal and legal challenges. As she copes with her close friend Teddi Mellencamp’s battle with cancer and fights multiple lawsuits, her legal troubles continue to mount. Recently, Erika’s attorney, Jim Wilkes, provided insight into her ongoing legal battle, including an update on a missed court hearing that could result in a major financial consequence.

In a conversation with The U.S. Sun on April 7, Jim discussed why he missed a key court hearing for a $300,000 lawsuit and clarified his efforts to continue defending Erika in multiple cases. “My staff made a mistake. I am in the process of winding down my practice to focus on fewer cases. All I’m going to say now is, ‘Your honor, I apologize.’ I’m going to file a new motion and go from there,” he explained.
According to Jim, the reason for the missed hearing was a clerical error, but he remains committed to fighting on Erika Jayne’s behalf. “I’m doing everything I know how to do to end this,” he added, referring to the lawsuit in question, which involves the designers behind Marco Marco, who have accused Erika of falsely stating they made unauthorized payments to her American Express card. As a result of the missed hearing, Erika now faces a default judgment of $300,000.
Despite these challenges, Jim emphasized that Erika Jayne is handling an incredible amount of stress, particularly due to Teddi Mellencamp’s health struggles. “Erika is dealing with a lot of stress. She’s got a close friend that she’s done the internet podcast with who’s got an incredibly difficult health issue … That’s been very difficult for Erika,” he said.

Beyond this lawsuit, Erika Jayne is also facing a high-stakes trial for a separate $24 million case filed against her by the bankruptcy trustee overseeing the estate of her estranged husband, Thomas Girardi. Jim remarked on Erika’s resilience in the face of this trial. “I’m stunned at how Erika has gotten through the depression of it. It astounds me that she’s done such a great job. Erika is good people,” he said.
Looking ahead, the $24 million case is expected to go to trial in the coming weeks. However, Jim expressed confidence in Erika’s defense, stating, “They’ve got a trial set up, they wanna do with Erika, but we’ve seen in the state court cases, they’ve gone through it, and there’s no evidence. And the judge said that he sees no evidence Erika was involved in anything.”
Erika’s personal and professional life continues to be under intense scrutiny, but her attorney stands by her, reassuring fans that he’s working tirelessly to defend her in these ongoing battles. Through it all, Erika’s strength and resilience remain evident, even as she faces some of the most challenging moments in her life.