Tom Girardi , the now disbarred lawyer who rose to fame winning the real-life Erin Brockovich case and marrying Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star Erika Jayne , must undergo cognitive testing to determine whether he should be sent to prison or a specialized medical facility after his recent fraud conviction , a federal judge ruled Friday. Girardi, 85, appeared in a Los Angeles courtroom but didn’t speak at what was initially scheduled as his sentencing hearing. Instead of learning whether he might receive some — or all — of the 14 years imprisonment sought by prosecutors, he was ordered by U.
S. District Judge Josephine Staton to surrender to federal marshals next month and be flown to North Carolina for psychological evaluation. His defense lawyers allege he has dementia.
The judge wants the testing to determine whether he qualifies for care at a Bureau of Prisons center serving severely impaired, elderly defendants. Girardi’s defense lawyer, Samuel Cross, balked at the long-distance trip to the federal medical center in Butner, saying it would be too arduous for his client. “Mr.
Girardi has special needs relating to his memory,” Cross said. “We expect him to deteriorate and not do well [in Bureau of Prisons custody]. .
.. There’s no reason this has to be done a continent away.
” Disbarred lawyer Tom Girardi leaving court today Judge ordered him to surrender by Jan. 7 for a BOP medical exam before court decides his sentencing for fraud conviction His defens.