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Erika Jayne‘s attorney, James “Jim” Wilkes, is no longer facing a lawsuit claiming he stole millions in COVID-19 relief funds from the United States government to help sustain The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star’s over-the-top lifestyle.
After designer Christopher Psaila, who filed an $18 million lawsuit against Erika, 54, in 2023, alleging that she falsely accused him of making $800,000 in fraudulent charges to her credit card, sued Jim with his business partner, Marco Morante, saying that he attempted to intentionally delay his case against her as he lied to cash in on government money meant for those in need, a Florida judge threw out his case.
According to a December 4 report from Reality Tea, which cited a December 1 report from Bloomberg Law, court records revealed that the judge dismissed the lawsuit from Christopher and Marco’s fashion company, Marco Squared LLC, because they did not share their citizenship. As the outlet explained, this is a requirement in federal cases as it would confirm federal diversity jurisdiction.
The judge also said the company was “shotgun pleading,” which means that they filed a case with “conclusory, vague, and immaterial facts,” rather than specific accusations against Jim. They were also accused of using “tabloid headlines” to build their case. However, it may not be completely over quite yet because Christopher and Marco have 21 days to file an amended complaint with their errors corrected.
Back in November, a report from Radar Online shared details of Christopher’s lawsuit against Jim, which included Christopher alleging that Jim had been dishonest about his staff.
James falsely “represented to the PPP that his firm had 40 full-time positions more than it actually had,” he claimed.
He then gave a nod to Erika, suggesting that Jim funneled money to the RHOBH cast member.
“The source of the funds that Wilkes used to pay, invest in, or loan Erika Jayne and her team, and to pay attorneys to defend Erika Jayne and team in other lawsuits, were two Covid loans from the Paycheck Protection Program (‘PPP Loans’) in the amounts of $2,393,079 and $2,000,000,” his federal lawsuit explained. “The U.S. Small Business Administration forgave both of these loans, which were meant for salaries for employees who would otherwise be laid off due to the COVID-19 pandemic.”
The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills season 15 premieres tonight at 8/7c on Bravo.
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