Tom Girardi, the estranged husband of'Real Housewives of Beverly Hills' star Erika Girardi, has officially been placed under conservatorship overseen by his brother, Robert, months after his dementia diagnosis was revealed.
A temporary conservatorship was put in place in February and was officially granted by the court on June 9, Robert's attorney Nicholas Van Brunt told Fox News.
Letters of conservatorship were issued to Robert on Monday, after the court issued the formal order last week, giving Robert control of his brother's welfare and estate.
"The issuance of letters is just the natural outcome of the court granting the conservatorship on June 9, 2021," Van Brunt said.
Court documents obtained by People stated that the conservatorship was put in place due to Tom's dementia diagnosis, which is classified as a "major neurocognitive disorder."
"It's obviously a heartbreaking situation for Robert, but we agree with the court's rulings yesterday," Van Brunt said in a statement to the outlet following the June 9 ruling. During the hearing, Tom said he disagreed with the conservatorship
"I think that we should put together the reasons why the conservatorship should be dissolved, and then we'll address it, address the court," he said. "Right now, I have nothing to say to the court."
However, the judge found that Tom "consents and does not object" to the conservatorship despite his statements.
Earlier this year Tom's lawyers said he had "issues" with "mental competence" — statements that came shortly before it was announced that he had been diagnosed with dementia and late-onset Alzheimer's disease. Robert was granted a temporary conservatorship in February, after Tom underwent a mental assessment as part of his brother's petition to become his permanent conservator.
Addressing the topic in a capacity declaration previously obtained by People, Dr. Nathan Lavid, a Long Beach forensic and clinical psychiatrist, said Tom was medically unfit to attend court proceedings in a sworn declaration submitted to the Superior Court of California on March 10.
"Dementia impairs his ability to understand the hearing," Lavid wrote. "His emotional distress is directly related to his dementia and exacerbated by his confusion."
News of the conservatorship comes shortly after Erika filed for divorce from Tom after over 20 years of marriage.
"After much consideration, I have decided to end my marriage to Tom Girardi," the singer said in a statement to Us Weekly. "This is not a step taken lightly or easily. I have great love and respect for Tom and for our years and the lives we built together. It is my absolute wish to proceed through this process with respect and with the privacy that both Tom and I deserved I request others give us that privacy as well."
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Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
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