Lisa Rinna believes Erika Girardi was mostly in the dark about her estranged husband Tom Girardi’s alleged shady financial dealings.
On Watch What Happens Live! with Andy Cohen Wednesday, Lisa, 58, addressed her Real Housewives of Beverly Hills costar’s legal controversies, which are now playing out on the reality show. As host Cohen asked fans at home to weigh in on how much they think Erika knew of the alleged crimes, he also gauged Rinna’s opinion on whether Erika, 50, was in on any of it.
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“I’ve known Erika a long time. I don’t think she knew anything,” Lisa Rinna said about Real Housewives of Beverly Hills costar Erika Girardi amid the embezzlement scandal
“Listen, I’ve known Erika a long time. I don’t think she knew anything,” said Rinna. “You tell me how she would know— why would Tom Girardi tell Erika anything? The lawyers didn’t even know. I mean, that is how I feel. I’m gonna stand by it. If I’m wrong, I’ll f—— deal with it.”
Rinna said she’s grown especially close to Erika over the years and the two remain in touch when the show is not filming.
“You know, I talk to Erika when Erika wants to talk. I can’t really give it a timeframe. But let’s put it this way: I’m closer with Erika than I’ve been with anybody in this circle,” she said. “I have become close friends with Erika over the six years. I’m much closer to her than I’ve been to any of those women. So that is important to know, I think.”
Rinna also said it was a “terrible rumor” that Erika had supposedly invested in Rinna Beauty and that’s why she’d defended her. “Erika did not give me a dime. And by the way, I would never borrow money from a friend. … That is not true. No.”
Erika filed for divorce from the former attorney, 82, in November after 21 years of marriage, telling PEOPLE at the time, “This is not a step taken lightly or easily. I have great love and respect for Tom and for our years and the lives we built together.”
Since then, the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star and her ex have weathered various legal controversies in the public eye.
In December, Tom and his law firm, Girardi Keese, were sued for allegedly embezzling funds from several families who lost loved ones in a 2018 Boeing plane crash. He was also later sued by his business partners, resulting in a chapter 7 bankruptcy petition that same month.
RELATED: Lisa Rinna Claims Erika Girardi Had a ‘Screaming Fight’ with a RHOBH Producer While Filming
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Then in June, the petitioning creditors in the bankruptcy case filed three separate motions that accused Erika of refusing to turn over bank statements and other documents to the bankruptcy trustee, according to copies of the motions obtained by PEOPLE.
The court ultimately ruled in favor of the creditors, ordering that Erika’s accountant Michael Ullman, divorce lawyer Larry Ginsburg and landlord Benjamin Khakshour turn over various “key documents,” including her pay stubs, bank statements and any emails and text messages pertaining to her finances.
Erika has also been accused of conspiring with Tom and using her “notoriety” to hide assets as the bankruptcy trustee continues to investigate both Tom and his firm.
In addition to his legal woes, Tom has been diagnosed with dementia and Alzheimer’s disease and placed under a conservatorship. After his younger brother Robert was named as his temporary conservator in February, the appointment was then made permanent in June.
“It’s obviously a heartbreaking situation for Robert, but we agree with the court’s rulings yesterday,” Robert’s lawyer, Nicholas Van Brunt, said in a statement to PEOPLE at the time.
RELATED VIDEO: Tom Girardi’s Law Firm Auctioning Off Julia Roberts Poster, Furniture and More amid Bankruptcy
On Wednesday’s episode of RHOBH, the tension between the cast members heightened as some of the women questioned whether they could trust Erika after the allegations became public.
Kyle Richards questioned Erika’s fate amid the embezzlement scandal, and Sutton Stracke said “there’s going to have to be some reconciliation where she goes to court.”
“If she did receive $20 million from the firm, that money should be going back to all the victims [of the embezzlement case],” Sutton said, adding that she thought “the money is gone.”
After Garcelle Beauvais and Crystal Kung Minkoff discussed the bombshell Los Angeles Times exposé about Erika and Tom away from the group, Garcelle pointed out in a confessional that she “can’t imagine this article came out without [Erika] getting a head’s up” beforehand. “[It] would explain why she flipped out at me and she left La Quinta,” Garcelle continued. “It happened to be me, but I think it could have been anybody.”
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Steve Eichner/AP Erika and Tom Girardi
Kyle suggested she believed Erika knew about the article and likely “left” their trip because of it. “I mean, this article is implying that Erika was complicit and knew everything,” Kyle said.
Sutton chimed in, “I hate to be devil’s advocate here. Maybe she didn’t know. But if her name is on that LLC, she is responsible for that LLC. She’s responsible for where the money comes from.”
Dorit Kemsley said the “picture that’s being painted is that there was no money but that they had a very lavish lifestyle and all of this was in an effort to keep this up.” When Kathy Hilton asked whether this was Tom or Erika’s doing, Dorit pointed out that it was Erika doing it “by extension.”
Sutton then questioned whether they’d all “been slightly duped by the lies,” and Dorit said she had “a hard pill to swallow” since she’d known Erika for five years. “It’s almost as if we don’t know her at all,” Dorit added.
