Sophia Michaels
Erika Jayne and Jim Wilkes are just “friends” despite being spotted on a “date” earlier this week.
A rep confirmed to US Weekly Wednesday that the twosome is “not dating” and that Wilkes, 72, is actually representing the “Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” star, 51.
“Jim is her lawyer and family friend for over 20 years,” they told the outlet.
Wilke dittoed these claims while speaking to the US Sun, saying he has been Jayne’s “primary attorney” for “some time now.”
“I’m trying to help my friend,” he explained. “And people want to see something nefarious in that and they want to impose a sexual relationship.”
The twosome sparked romance rumors after they were photographed strolling around Caesars Palace in Las Vegas over the weekend.
Jayne showed off her figure in skintight red leather leggings, a graphic long-sleeve tee and sky-high heels for the outing while Wilkes kept cool in a leather jacket and jeans.
Yet Wilkes doesn’t understand how anyone could have assumed they were on a date given their body language.
“The distance between Erika and I was at least six feet,” he told the outlet. “Where was little Mr. Photographer? I had been talking to a lady behind us, but to take that to a ‘date’?”
“Erika and I have known each other way too many years to date,” she continued, noting that while she is “beautiful, funny, and mature,” she is more like a “sister.”
“She was close with my ex-wife, she’s friends with my current wife,” he explained.
In fact, just hours after photos of the pair made their rounds on social media, Wilkes posted a photo with his much-younger wife, Jessica Collins.
“My wife and me. Having a nice moment,” Wilkes, 72, captioned a black-and-white selfie Tuesday of the couple in bed, which Jayne “liked.”
Wilkes was a longtime associate of Jayne’s estranged husband, Tom Girardi, whom she divorced in 2020 after he was accused of embezzling $15 million from his clients’ settlement funds.
Despite his friendship with Girardi, Wilkes said he hasn’t spoken to the disgraced lawyer in years and instead intends to focus his efforts on helping Jayne.
“My goal was to see that she survived this and then to find the people that were culpable and hold them accountable.”
In fact, he reportedly sent the Bravolebrity just under $500,000 amid the nasty divorce to help her pay for legal fees.
