Tom Girardi is a former American lawyer and co-founder of Girardi & Keese law firm in Los Angeles. He won a $333 million case against Pacific Gas & Electric, which inspired the movie Erin Brockovich. In 2022, he lost his law license and in 2026, a court sentenced him to 7 years in prison for stealing client money. His net worth in 2026 is just $100,000 it was once $264 million.
Who Is Tom Girardi?
He did not inherit wealth. He did not get lucky. Tom Girardi built everything with his own hands and then destroyed it the same way.He grew up as an ordinary kid in Denver, Colorado. Nobody predicted he would become one of the most feared lawyers in American history. But he had one thing most people lack an obsessive hunger to win.
He spent years in courtrooms fighting powerful corporations. Oil companies, gas companies, airlines none of them scared him. He walked in with evidence, walked out with millions, and handed that money to people who had no one else in their corner.America loved him for it. His peers feared him. His clients trusted him completely.
That trust became his weapon and eventually, his downfall.Tom stole from the very people who believed in him most. Sick patients. Plane crash victims. Families who had lost everything. He took their settlement money and spent it on a lifestyle so lavish it made headlines.Today he is 86 years old and sits in federal prison. The man who once had $264 million to his name now holds less than $100,000.
Quick Facts
| Detail | Info |
| Full Name | Thomas Vincent Girardi |
| Date of Birth | June 3, 1939 |
| Age (2026) | 86 Years |
| Birthplace | Denver, Colorado, USA |
| Profession | Former Attorney (Disbarred 2022) |
| Law Firm | Girardi & Keese |
| Peak Net Worth | $264 Million |
| Current Net Worth | ~$100,000 |
| Famous Case | Erin Brockovich ($333M Settlement) |
| Marriages | 3 Times |
| Prison Sentence | 7 Years (2026) |
| Conviction | Wire Fraud & Embezzlement |
Early Life & Education of Tom Girardi
Tom Girardi was born on June 3, 1939, in Denver, Colorado. He grew up in Los Angeles and attended Loyola High School, graduating in 1957.
Thomas Girardi stayed in Los Angeles for college. In 1961, he completed his bachelor’s degree from Loyola Marymount University. In 1964, he earned his law degree from Loyola Law School. He did not stop there. In 1965, he completed his LLM from New York University, one of the top law schools in the country.
By 1970, his education was already paying off. He became the first attorney in California to win a $1 million-plus award in a medical malpractice case.
Legal Career of Tom Girardi
Thomas Girardi started his legal career in 1964. He spent decades taking on big corporations and winning. His firm Girardi & Keese became one of the most powerful plaintiff law firms in America. Over his career, he won more than $11 billion in verdicts and settlements.
First Big Milestone
In 1970, Girardi became the first attorney in California to win a medical malpractice case worth over $1 million. That win put his name on the map and set the tone for everything that followed.
Taking On Corporate Giants
He fought cases against Lockheed Corp, Pacific Gas & Electric, Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority, and all seven major Hollywood movie studios. In 2007, he was part of a team that secured a $4.85 billion settlement against Merck over their painkiller Vioxx.
The Erin Brockovich Case
His biggest case was against Pacific Gas & Electric. He represented hundreds of residents in Hinkley, California whose water was contaminated. He won a $333 million settlement the largest in US history at that time for a direct action lawsuit. This case later inspired the Oscar-winning film Erin Brockovich starring Julia Roberts.
Awards & Recognition
In 2003, the California State Bar inducted him into the Trial Lawyer Hall of Fame. He also became the first trial lawyer appointed to the California Judicial Council.
Major Cases That Built His Fortune
Tom Girardi did not earn his wealth from a salary. He took cases on contingency meaning no upfront fee from clients. Instead, he kept 25% to 40% of every settlement he won. The bigger the case, the bigger his cut. Over his career, he won more than $11 billion in total settlements.
Pacific Gas & Electric: The Erin Brockovich Case
This was his most famous win. He represented hundreds of residents in Hinkley, California whose water was poisoned by toxic chemicals dumped by Pacific Gas & Electric. He won a $333 million settlement the largest direct-action lawsuit payout in US history at that time. The 2000 Hollywood film Erin Brockovich starring Julia Roberts was based on this exact case.
Merck & Vioxx Settlement
In 2007, Girardi joined a legal team that took on pharmaceutical giant Merck over their painkiller Vioxx. The drug caused serious heart problems in thousands of patients. The total settlement reached $4.85 billion one of the largest pharmaceutical settlements in American history.
Lockheed Corp, Hollywood Studios & More
He also fought cases against Lockheed Corp, Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority, and all seven major Hollywood movie studios. Each case added millions to his firm’s income and cemented his reputation as America’s most feared plaintiff lawyer.
Peak Net Worth & Lavish Lifestyle
At his peak in 2015, Tom Girardi estimated his own net worth at $264 million. His annual earnings crossed $100 million in his best years. He lived a life that matched every dollar of it.
A Lifestyle Built on Big Money
He owned a massive 1.7-acre mansion in Pasadena worth $13 million. He flew on two private jets. Thomas Girardi spent $40,000 every single month on his wife Erika Jayne’s hair, makeup, and clothes. He was a member of exclusive golf clubs and spent millions on jewelry. Girardi also pumped $25 million into Erika Jayne’s entertainment company to fund her pop music career.
His Marriages: Three Times, Three Different Lives
First Wife: Karen Weitzul (1964–1983): He married Karen when he was a young and unknown lawyer just starting out. She stood by him during his early career years. They divorced in 1983 after 19 years together. When Girardi went bankrupt, Karen came forward and claimed he owed her $245,000 in unpaid alimony. She eventually settled for $200,000.
Second Wife: Kathy Risner (1993–1998): Not much is publicly known about this marriage. They married in 1993 and divorced five years later. This chapter of his life stayed mostly private.
Third Wife: Erika Jayne (2000–2020): This was his most high-profile marriage. Erika was a pop singer and reality TV star on Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. Girardi spent millions funding her career and lifestyle. In 2020, she filed for divorce just one month before his firm went bankrupt a timing that raised serious questions in court.
Tom Girardi Fraud & Embezzlement Scandal
Thomas Girardi did not make one mistake. He made the same choice every single day for ten years and that choice was to steal.
A Scheme Hidden in Plain Sight
He ran a Ponzi scheme inside his own law firm from 2010 to 2020. Every time a client won a settlement, Girardi took that money for himself. When those clients asked where their payment was, he paid them using someone else’s settlement. He robbed Peter to pay Paul for a decade straight.
The Victims No One Expected
These were not wealthy investors. These were injured workers, sick patients, and families who had lost loved ones in accidents. They came to Girardi because they had no one else. He took their cases, won their money, and then kept it.
Where That Money Actually Went
It paid for private jets. Luxury cars. Jewelry. Exclusive golf club memberships. And millions of dollars poured into his wife Erika Jayne’s pop music career and her entertainment company.
The Lies That Kept It Going
He told clients their money was stuck in legal delays. He blamed judges, tax issues, and medical liens. Every excuse bought him more time. His own law firm employees were instructed to keep making small payments to quiet down anyone who got too loud.
The Total Damage
By the time investigators caught up with him, he had stolen over $15 million and federal prosecutors across two states put the real number closer to $18 million.
Disbarment & Bankruptcy (2022)
By 2020, the walls were closing in. Tom Girardi could no longer keep his Ponzi scheme running. Clients were getting louder. Creditors were piling up. The firm that once won billions was now drowning in debt.
The Firm Collapses First
At the end of 2020, creditors forced Girardi Keese into involuntary bankruptcy. Girardi did not choose to shut it down the court stepped in and took control. The firm owed over $101 million to creditors, former clients, and legal entities. Decades of legal wins meant nothing. The money was simply gone.
The Law License Goes Next
In June 2022, the California Supreme Court made it official. They disbarred Tom Girardi, the man who had practiced law for over 50 years. The State Bar had charged him with 14 counts of violating ethics rules. He did not even show up to defend himself. He filed no response. The court treated his silence as a full admission of guilt.
What the Court Ordered
Along with disbarment, the court ordered him to pay back over $2.3 million plus 10% interest to his victims. A large portion of that money was owed to the minor children of families who died in the 2018 Lion Air Flight 610 crash people who had trusted him with their grief and their futures.
A Career Officially Over
The man who was once inducted into the Trial Lawyer Hall of Fame lost his license, his firm, and his reputation in the same two-year window. By the time disbarment came in 2022, it felt less like a punishment and more like a formality. Everyone already knew Tom Girardi was finished.
Tom Girardi Guilty Verdict (2024)
Tom Girardi walked into federal court in August 2024 as a disbarred lawyer. He walked out as a convicted criminal. The trial ran for 13 days. Prosecutors brought real victims to the stand a burn victim, a widow, and families of plane crash victims. People who had trusted him completely and lost everything because of it. The jury deliberated for just two hours. On August 27, 2024, they found him guilty on all four counts of wire fraud. He was 85 years old.
His legal team tried to use his age and dementia diagnosis to avoid conviction. The court did not accept it. A man who ran a decade-long financial scheme constantly lying, planning, and covering his tracks cannot claim he lost his mind only when it was time to face consequences. The jury saw through it.
Girardi was not the only one convicted. His former CFO Christopher Kamon was also found guilty and later sentenced to 10 years in prison. His son-in-law David Lira faced separate federal charges in Chicago. The entire inner circle of Girardi Keese fell apart. Each wire fraud count carried a maximum of 20 years in federal prison. Sentencing was scheduled next and it was not going to be kind.
Karen Weitzul: First Wife’s Alimony Claim
Karen Weitzul was Tom Girardi’s first wife. They married in August 1964 when Girardi was just a young lawyer with no fame and no fortune. She stood beside him through his early years the struggles, the small cases, the slow climb. Their marriage lasted 19 years before she filed for divorce in 1983. As part of their settlement, Girardi agreed to pay her $10,000 every month in spousal support. For years, the arrangement stayed quiet and completely out of the public eye.
Then Girardi stopped paying. By 2020, when his financial world started collapsing, the unpaid alimony had piled up to $245,000. Karen went to court and filed documents charging him with contempt. She also placed a lien on the Pasadena mansion the same home Girardi had shared with his third wife Erika Jayne. It was one of the few assets left standing in the middle of his bankruptcy chaos.
When the mansion was eventually sold, Karen received $200,000 as a settlement. It was less than what she was owed but she accepted it. In return, she gave up all future financial claims against him. She made no public statements, gave no interviews, and walked away quietly. A woman who spent 19 years building a life with him got $200,000 from a bankruptcy sale while the rest of the world watched his story burn.
Net Worth Collapse: From $264M to Almost Nothing
At his peak, Tom Girardi estimated his own Net worth at $264 million. He owned a $13 million mansion, flew on private jets, and spent over $100,000 every month on his lifestyle alone. Nobody questioned him because the money always seemed to be there. But it was never really his. He was spending stolen client funds, running a Ponzi scheme, and borrowing from new victims to pay old ones. The moment the scheme collapsed in 2020, everything went with it.
By 2026, Tom Girardi’s net worth sits at just $100,000. His mansion is sold. His law firm is gone. Tom Girardi law license is cancelled. He owes over $2.3 million in court-ordered restitution and has a 7-year federal prison sentence ahead of him. A man who once controlled $264 million now has less money than an average middle-class family.
Tom Girardi’s Current Net Worth (2026)
Tom Girardi’s net worth in 2026 is estimated at just $100,000. That number includes whatever little remains after bankruptcy proceedings, court-ordered restitution of over $2.3 million, legal fees, and the forced sale of all major assets. He has no law firm, no license, no mansion, and no income. He is currently serving a 7-year federal prison sentence with no way to rebuild what he lost. The man who once called himself worth $264 million now has less than most people keep in a savings account.
Conclusion
Tom Girardi spent 50 years building a reputation that most lawyers only dream about. He won billions, fought giants, and made headlines for all the right reasons. But behind every big win was a man who believed the rules did not apply to him. He stole from burn victims, plane crash families, and injured workers people who had no one else to fight for them. In the end, the same courtrooms that made him famous became the place where it all fell apart. At 86 years old, he sits in federal prison with $100,000 to his name. The rise was real. The fall was inevitable.
FAQs
What is Tom Girardi’s net worth in 2026?
His net worth in 2026 is estimated at just $100,000.
Why did Tom Girardi go to prison?
He was convicted of wire fraud for stealing over $15 million in settlement funds from his own clients over a 10-year period.
How long is Tom Girardi’s prison sentence?
He received a 7-year federal prison sentence in 2025.
Who is Tom Girardi’s most famous wife?
His third wife Erika Jayne, a reality TV star on Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.
What was Tom Girardi’s most famous case?
The $333 million settlement against Pacific Gas & Electric which inspired the Hollywood film Erin Brockovich.
Was Tom Girardi ever worth $264 million?
Yes. In 2015 he estimated his own net worth at $264 million. Today that figure is $100,000.
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