Posted on: August 30, 2023, 12:06h.
Last updated on: August 30, 2023, 12:06h.
Reality TV star Erika Jayne, who recently began her Las Vegas residency, “Bet It All on Blonde,” at the House of Blues at Mandalay Bay, finds herself facing a legal battle. Her former costume designer has filed an $18.2 million lawsuit against her.
In a lawsuit obtained by TMZ, Chris Psaila, the former costume designer, alleges that Erika Jayne defamed him by falsely claiming his costume company overcharged her more than $800,000 for outfits in 2015 and 2016.
Reports indicate that Erika Jayne’s residency showcases 75 minutes of original music, including Madonna and disco covers, accompanied by provocative dancing in bondage costumes.
Suiting Up
According to the lawsuit, Erika Jayne and her estranged husband, Tom Girardi, gave Psaila and his Hollywood clothing store, Marco Marco, permission to charge Girardi’s American Express card for any costumes created and provided by Psaila. Jayne, an authorized user of the card, allegedly received everything she paid Psaila for. However, the lawsuit makes controversial claims that Jayne manipulated two Secret Service agents into prosecuting Psaila and that American Express unjustly refunded $787K to Jayne and Girardi without allowing Psaila to dispute the claims. The lawsuit also names Jayne, American Express, and former Secret Service agent Robert Savage as defendants.
“It seems calculated that plaintiff timed this lawsuit to coincide with the rave reviews of Erika’s Las Vegas residency opening,” said Evan Borges, Jayne’s attorney, speaking to TMZ. “Plaintiff’s claims against Erika are entirely without merit. Independent federal prosecutors at the US Attorney’s Office made the decision to charge plaintiff with crimes, no one else.
“The notion that Erika controlled the US Government, or for that matter a Fortune 100 company such as American Express, is fantasy.”
It remains unclear whether any of the costumes worn by Jayne in “Bet It All on Blonde” are the subject of the disputed items in the lawsuit.