Girardi possessions auctioned to raise money for alleged victims

Ladies' lingerie, Erin Brokovich posters and a $24,000 Marc Chagall painting were among the items sold last week at the Girardi Keese bankruptcy auction.

Creditors forced the Girardi Keese law firm along with suspended plaintiff attorney Thomas V. Girardi into bankruptcy in December, amid allegations Girardi stole millions of dollars from his clients.

Beverly Hills attorney Gary Dordick, who recently purchased one of the former Girardi Keese office buildings in Los Angeles, spent over $50,000 at the auction, buying office furniture, statues, the Chagall painting and a signed collection of Clarence Darrow documents. All the proceeds from the auction will go to Girardi's creditors and victims he allegedly defrauded.

"It's a good cause to take from somebody who stole from the public, and try to raise money in any way we can to help the victims," Dordick said. "A lot of the things I'll probably end up donating, but it was fun to bid and negotiate. I think the Chagall painting had 92 bids on it before the auction closed."

Over 700 items were up for sale at the online auction conducted by ThreeSixty Asset Advisors and under the jurisdiction of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court. Other items included seats removed from Yankee Stadium, memorabilia related to his wife, the entertainer Erika Jayne, a cover note for a wire transfer for a $263 million settlement and dozens of bottles of wine.

Dordick said the auction likely raised about $100,000 but buyers assumed a certain level of risk because the items were sold "as is, where is" and "buyer beware."

Wednesday morning, while standing in front of a Lady of Justice statue and the Clarence Darrow collection he purchased during the auction, Dordick reflected on Girardi's once-revered status.

"For almost his entire career, Tom Girardi stood for these principles, represented by the lady of justice and Clarence Darrow," Dordick said Wednesday. "I think he got corrupted perhaps at the end and lost his way, and felt the need to take money from clients. But for the majority of his career, he was a very fine advocate for victims rights and did a wonderful job. Unfortunately, it was all tarnished by how his career has ended."