Advocate Discipline

California, United States

Thomas Vincent Girardi: disciplinary decision

Decision, 1 June 2022The ABA Journal reported on 3 June 2022 that the Supreme Court of California disbarred Girardi "in a June 1 order" and ordered him to pay more than 2 million US dollars plus interest in restitution to clients. The US Attorney's Office and a later ABA Journal report give the disbarment as July 2022.3,4,1

Supreme Court of California, on the recommendation of the State Bar Court of California

What the decision found

The ABA Journal reported in 2022 that the restitution was owed to clients who never received settlement funds, and the AP reported that the disbarment related to client thefts. In separate federal criminal proceedings, a jury in Los Angeles convicted him in August 2024 of four counts of wire fraud, according to the US Attorney's Office. The ABA Journal reported that the case involved about 15 million US dollars taken from four clients over roughly a decade, and that a prosecutor contended he was running "a classic Ponzi scheme." Then US Attorney Martin Estrada called him "a Robin-Hood-in-reverse, stealing from the needy," the ABA Journal reported.3,2,4,1

Response

At trial his lawyers argued that dementia meant he was not responsible for the firm's finances and blamed the former chief financial officer, Christopher Kamon, according to the ABA Journal. The AP reported that an email seeking comment from his attorney was not immediately answered.1,2

Appeal and later events

On 3 June 2025 US District Judge Josephine L. Staton sentenced him to 87 months in federal prison and ordered restitution of 2,310,247 US dollars and a 35,000 US dollar fine, according to the US Attorney's Office. The AP reported that the judge had ruled the day before that he was mentally competent to be sentenced. The US Attorney's Office said he was dismissed from a separate federal case in Chicago because of his conviction and sentencing in Los Angeles.4,2

Status now

Disbarred in California (order of 1 June 2022, per the ABA Journal). Convicted of four counts of wire fraud (August 2024) and sentenced to 87 months in prison (3 June 2025), per the US Attorney's Office.3,4

This site covers only lawyers whose cases were widely reported and decided in published rulings. Each record states the decision exactly as the body made it, and any appeal or later change.

Sources

  1. ABA Journal, Disbarred lawyer Tom Girardi is convicted for stealing 15M from clients (27 August 2024)
  2. Associated Press via ABC7 New York, Former celebrity lawyer Tom Girardi gets 7 years for stealing millions from clients (4 June 2025)
  3. ABA Journal, Plaintiffs lawyer Tom Girardi, estranged husband of 'Real Housewives' star, is disbarred (3 June 2022)
  4. US Attorney's Office, Central District of California, Former plaintiffs lawyer Tom Girardi sentenced to more than 7 years in prison for swindling tens of millions of dollars from injured clients (3 June 2025)