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Big yikes.
By Olivia Jakiel — Written on Dec 21, 2020
If you think the Real Housewives drama stops when the camera stops rolling, then you’re in for a rude awakening!
Erika Jayne, the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star who recently split from her husband of two decades, Tom Girardi, over infidelity claims, took to social media to air out her dirty laundry in a since-deleted post.
In the post, Jayne alleges that Girardi was having an affair with a woman named Tricia A. Bigelow — a California judge whose term ends on January 6, 2031.
“This is Justice Tricia A. Bigelow,” the Instagram post, which was screen grabbed by a fan before Jayne deleted it, reads. “She was f****** my husband Tom Girardi and he was paying for her Saks bill and her plastic surgery.”
While Bravo fans know that Erika Jayne and Tom Girardi have been in their fair share of headline-making legal troubles over the years, Jayne outing Girardi’s alleged mistress just took things to a whole new level.
Who is Tom Girardi’s mistress, Justice Tricia A. Bigelow?
Read on for everything you need to know about Justice Tricia A. Bigelow, including details about their alleged affair and whose side Real Housewives fans are on.
Tricia A. Bigelow is a California judge.
Bigelow holds the title of Presiding Justice of the Second District Court of Appeal, Division Eight. She was confirmed to the court on May 16, 2008, and she’s not going anywhere anytime soon — her term is up nearly a decade from now on Jan 6, 2031.
She won an award for Excellence in Judicial Education.
Along with her colleague, Judge Richard Couzens, Bigelow was presented with the Award for Excellence in Judicial Education in 2015 for their collaboration on three books they wrote on the subject of criminal law.
She’s a published writer.
As mentioned above, Justice Tricia A. Bigelow is a published writer.
She co-wrote three publications for The Rutter Group: Sex Crimes: California Law and Procedure, Sentencing California Crimes, and California Three Strikes Sentencing.
Bigelow has also penned education materials on the subjects of judicial ethics and fairness, jury instructions, civil motions and trials, criminal motions and trials, felony sentencing, and sex crimes, and has lectured judges and lawyers on the aforementioned subjects as well.
Fans are questioning the validity of Erika Jayne’s “proof” of Tom Girardi’s infidelity.
While many Bravo fans were shocked about Erika Jayne’s bold claims about Girardi’s alleged affair with Bigelow, some Real Housewives fans weren’t convinced that Jayne’s “proof” of Giradi’s infidelity was even real — and it’s all because of the type of phone that showed the interactions between Girardi and Bigelow.
“Y’all believe anything. this is a cover up story. How old is that damn phone?!” one Twitter user questioned, while another responded with, “Exactly she’s trying to make the divorce look real, and not a last ditch effort to hide funds from her husbands lawsuits.”
Reddit users were HERE for the drama, though, despite the fact that the phone in question — a RAZR flip-phone, as some social media users pointed out — is from the mid 2000s.
“Oh wow. things are really heating up in Pasadena!!!” one Reddit user wrote, adding, “Also lol at the flip phone screenshots like an early 2000s music video.”
Another Reddit user alleged that this was a “dumb move” by Erika — who is currently embattled in some serious legal drama with her ex-husband — and that bringing a judge into the mix will just complicate things even more:
“This is so dumb by Erika. To do something like this to someone in a judicial position is asking for a reprise. She’s going to get slapped with a defamation lawsuit so fast.
She’s also making herself look terrible to any judges who may hear her case (she’s definitely gonna have at least one against her). Entertaining for us, stupid af on Erikas part.”
Tom Girardi has yet to respond to the claims.
Olivia Jakiel is an editor and writer who covers celebrity and entertainment news. Follow her on Instagram and keep up with her zingers on Twitter.