LOS ANGELES — John Moran Auctioneers will conduct an auction titled Property from the Thomas and Erika Jayne Girardi Residence, A Court Ordered Sale, on Wednesday, September 21 at noon Pacific time. Absentee and Internet live bidding will be available through LiveAuctioneers.

If you’ve turned on the news or looked at social media this past year, you have probably encountered the name Tom Girardi. Previously married to Erika Jayne, Billboard pop star and cast member of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, Girardi is most famous for the high-profile lawsuit that inspired the film Erin Brockovich. Representing the residents of Hinkley, California, who sued the Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) for allegedly contaminating the local water with chemicals, Girardi was able to settle with PG&E in 1996 for the record sum of $333 million.

Fast forward to today: Girardi is disbarred following the State Bar Court finding him guilty on numerous counts of violating ethics rules and California law. This is after he was forced into bankruptcy, along with his law firm, Girardi Keese. Prior to their bankruptcy in 2020, the law firm was among the most respected in the state. Now it is associated with the largest legal fraud case in California history.

The proceeds from the September 21 auction will be used to help pay down debt. With more than 200 lots acquired from Girardi’s highly televised Pasadena mansion, the sale will offer everything from furniture and art to books and sports memorabilia.

One of the most impressive items in the lineup is a 1997 Steinway piano, a 200th anniversary edition model. Known as one of the leading piano brands for more than 160 years, this Steinway instrument has an estimate of $40,000-$60,000. 

Noteworthy examples of mid-century art include works from Spanish artist Joan Miro and an etching from the British artist David Hockney. A Miro lithograph will be offered with an estimate of $800-$1,200, and a smaller Miro work, estimated at $700-$900, will also be available. The Hockney piece is a 1977 work titled Etching is the Subject, from his Blue Guitar portfolio. Its estimate is $3,000-$5,000. Hockney is recognized as being an important contributor to the pop art movement of the 1960s and is also considered one of the most influential British artists of the 20th century.

The contemporary art selection features three Glenna Goodacre bronze sculptures, and the standout is a patinated bronze of a woman holding a child, titled Crossing the Prairie and dating to the year 2000, estimated at $30,000-$40,000. Goodacre is internationally renowned for her large-scale bronze figurative sculptures, most famously the Vietnam Women’s Memorial in Washington DC. There will also be two smaller examples of her late-1990s work, with estimates of $800-$1,200 and $300-$500, respectively.

Also featured are interior furnishings such as lamps, Persian rugs and wall mirrors, among them a pair of large Northern Italian gilt wood mirrors estimated at $3,000-$5,000. Other pieces include a cast iron Chinese table with chairs, estimated at $2,000-$3,000, and a pair of Guerdon brass tables, each estimated at $1,000-$1,500.

There will be no shortage of striking decorative art on the block, led by an Italian silver stag with an estimate of $5,000-$7,000, and a late 18th- or early 19th-century religious icon estimated at $3,000-$5,000.

From Girardi’s personal library comes a collection of law books and art books. Especially worthy of mention are two Machiavelli books: The Works, which carries an estimate of $1,500-$2,000, and his 1815 classic, The Art of War, estimated $400-$600. Art references are distinguished by a giant-sized Warhol book that has an estimate of $300-$500.

Other items from the property include sofas, ottomans, leather club chairs, tables, neo-classical and chinoiserie armchairs, patio furniture, and an impressive selection of 17th-, 18th-, and 19th-century art.

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