[2] He is separated from his third wife, the performer Erika Jayne, with whom he occasionally appeared on The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills in their Pasadena mansion.
Girardi received the “Distinguished Alumnus Award," “Champion of Justice” honor, and served on the faculty at Loyola Law School.
[1] In the case against Pacific Gas & Electric, the utility company in 1996 agreed to pay $460 million to 650 residents of the desert community of Hinkley, California.
[4] In 2007, Girardi was among a team of lawyers who negotiated a $4.85 billion settlement on behalf of thousands of plaintiffs who complained of complications associated with Merck's pain medication Vioxx.
[citation needed] Girardi was known for his work in Democratic party politics, donating millions of dollars to campaigns, playing a role in fundraising events, and giving advice to governors regarding judicial appointments.
[12] In January 2021, he was removed from California Governor Gavin Newsom's Judicial Selection Advisory Committee, which vets judges for the state bench.
[5] In March 2021, the Consumer Attorneys Association of Los Angeles revoked its awards to Girardi, including the 1995 Trial Lawyer of the Year, and removed him from its hall of fame.
[13] In December 2020, a federal judge in Chicago froze Girardi's assets, ruling that he had "misappropriated at least $2 million in client funds that were due to the families of those killed" in the Boeing 737 MAX Lion Air Flight 610 crash in Indonesia.
[27] In January 2000, 60-year-old Girardi married his third wife, 28-year-old singer and actress Erika Jayne, who later became known as a star of the reality-television series The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.