Karen Weitzul is best known as the first wife of Thomas Girardi, the once-powerful Los Angeles trial attorney whose career later collapsed under fraud charges and disbarment.
People search her name today mostly because of that connection; curiosity about the man behind the Erin Brockovich case and the Real Housewives scandal naturally leads back to the woman he married decades earlier, long before any of that unfolded.
Unlike her former husband, Karen Weitzul never sought public attention. She married Thomas Girardi in 1964, divorced him in 1983, and has lived largely outside the spotlight ever since.
This guide covers what’s publicly known about her life, her background, her marriage, the divorce settlement, and where she stands today.
Quick Facts — Karen Weitzul Profile
| Field | Information |
| Full Name | Karen Weitzul (also referred to as Karen Weitzul Girardi) |
| Birth Year | Reportedly around 1941 |
| Age | Approximately 84 (as of 2026) |
| Birthplace | Widely cited as Wisconsin, United States |
| Nationality | American |
| Education | Loyola Marymount University |
| Ex Husband | Thomas Girardi |
| Marriage Year | 1964 |
| Divorce Year | Filed 1983 |
| Children | No confirmed public records |
| Parents | Not independently verified in public records |
| Siblings | Not independently verified in public records |
| Residence | Reportedly Pasadena, California |
| Net Worth | Not publicly documented |
Most details about Karen Weitzul come from secondary reporting rather than court records or interviews, so treat figures like her exact birth year and residence as commonly cited estimates, not confirmed facts.
Who Is Karen Weitzul?
Karen Weitzul is an American woman known publicly as the first wife of attorney Thomas Girardi, whom she married in 1964 and divorced in 1983. She has never held a public role or media career of her own. Her name resurfaces mainly because of Girardi’s later fame and legal downfall, not because of anything she did herself.
Early Life and Family Background
Very little about Karen Weitzul’s childhood is confirmed through primary sources. Several unofficial biography sites place her birth around 1941 in Wisconsin, though no court record, obituary, or news archive independently verifies this date or location.
The same applies to her family. Some sites name her parents and describe her father’s profession, but these details are not backed by any traceable source and appear to repeat across articles without original documentation. Until a verifiable record surfaces, it’s more accurate to say her early family background remains largely undocumented rather than to state specific names as fact.
What is clear is that Karen Weitzul was not a public figure before her marriage. Her visibility in any records begins with her connection to Thomas Girardi in the 1960s.
Education — Loyola Marymount University
Karen Weitzul is commonly linked to Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, where she reportedly studied before her marriage. This detail places her within the same Southern California academic and social circles that Thomas Girardi moved in during his own law studies at Loyola Law School nearby.
Beyond this general connection, no verified academic records, yearbooks, or university archives are publicly available to confirm her enrollment dates or area of study.
The Loyola link is worth noting because it’s the most consistently repeated detail across biographical write ups and offers useful context for how she and Girardi likely crossed paths.
How Karen Weitzul Met Thomas Girardi
Karen Weitzul and Thomas Girardi are believed to have crossed paths through the overlapping Los Angeles college and law school circles of the early 1960s.
At the time, Girardi was a law student building the foundation for his legal career, while Weitzul moved in the same Southern California social environment tied to Loyola’s campus community.
Los Angeles in the early 1960s was expanding quickly, and young professionals and students often met through shared social events rather than formal introductions.
This general context explains how the two likely met, though no interview or firsthand account details the specifics of their relationship before marriage.
Marriage to Thomas Girardi (1964)
Karen Weitzul married Thomas Girardi in 1964, a few sources point to August of that year, at a point when he was still early in his legal career and had not yet built the reputation that would later define him.
The couple is reported to have settled in Pasadena, California, a quiet, residential city that suited a young couple starting out.
In the years that followed, Girardi worked to establish his legal practice while Weitzul kept a low profile at home. Their marriage lasted close to two decades, spanning the period when Girardi’s career began to take shape but had not yet reached its peak.
Did Karen Weitzul and Thomas Girardi Have Children?
There are no confirmed public records showing that Karen Weitzul and Thomas Girardi had children together. Most biographical summaries agree on this point, and no birth records, obituaries, or family statements have surfaced to contradict it.
Because Weitzul has kept her personal life private throughout, it’s possible that some family details were simply never made public. But based on everything currently available, the accepted understanding is that the marriage did not produce children.
Divorce and Financial Settlement
Karen Weitzul filed for divorce from Thomas Girardi in 1983, ending a marriage of close to nineteen years. Several biography sites describe a lengthy process, with some suggesting the divorce wasn’t finalized until later in the decade, though exact court dates aren’t publicly documented.
As part of the separation, reports describe an ongoing spousal support arrangement, with some accounts citing a monthly payment in the range of several thousand dollars.
In 2020, amid his own financial troubles, Girardi reportedly asked the court to reduce these payments, and by 2022 a settlement tied to the sale of his Pasadena property is said to have resolved a portion of what he owed.
It’s worth being direct here: these specific dollar figures come from secondary reporting, not verified court filings, so they should be read as commonly repeated estimates rather than confirmed amounts.
What is consistent across sources is that the divorce carried a long running financial dimension that resurfaced decades later when Girardi’s broader legal troubles became public.
Good, verified this with fresh sources. Here’s the next section, using accurate current facts.
Who Is Thomas Girardi? (Context Section)
Thomas Girardi is a former Los Angeles personal injury lawyer who co founded the law firm Girardi Keese and built his reputation on major cases against large corporations. His most famous case involved Pacific Gas and Electric, a groundwater contamination lawsuit that ended in a $333 million settlement and inspired the 2000 film Erin Brockovich, starring Julia Roberts.
For decades, Girardi was seen as one of the country’s top trial attorneys. That reputation collapsed after clients accused him of stealing settlement money instead of paying it out.
He was disbarred from the State Bar of California in July 2022, and in August 2024, federal jurors convicted him on four counts of wire fraud for stealing $15 million from four clients over roughly a decade. He was later sentenced to seven years in federal prison.
Girardi is also known for his marriage to Erika Jayne, the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star, whom he wed in 2000 and who filed for divorce from him in November 2020 as his legal troubles surfaced.
None of these later events involve Karen Weitzul, whose marriage to Girardi ended decades before this chapter of his life began.
Life After Divorce
After her divorce, Karen Weitzul stepped fully away from public life. She is reported to have continued living in Pasadena, California, the same city where she and Girardi settled during their marriage, and she never pursued a media career or public role of her own.
Her lifestyle since the divorce appears to center on privacy. She has no known social media presence, has not given interviews, and has never commented publicly on Girardi’s later fame or legal troubles.
That consistency is part of why so little verified information about her exists beyond the basic facts of the marriage and divorce.
Karen Weitzul Net Worth
There is no publicly documented figure for Karen Weitzul’s net worth. Some biography sites estimate it in the low millions, tied to her divorce settlement and reported spousal support payments, but none of these numbers are backed by a verifiable source like a court filing or financial disclosure.
What can be said with more confidence is that any financial stability she has is likely connected to the divorce settlement from her marriage to Girardi rather than a personal career or business, since there is no record of her holding paid employment or running a company.
Until a credible source publishes an actual figure, her net worth is best described as undocumented rather than estimated.
Public Mentions During Girardi’s Legal Scandal (2020–2025)
Karen Weitzul’s name resurfaced in occasional media coverage between 2020 and 2025, but only as background context to Thomas Girardi’s unraveling career. As his firm collapsed, his disbarment became public, and his federal fraud case moved through the courts, reporters piecing together his full biography often referenced his first marriage for historical context.
None of this coverage connected her to any wrongdoing. She was never named in the federal indictment, the wire fraud trial, or the civil lawsuits filed by former clients.
Her appearances in these stories are limited to brief mentions of the 1964 marriage and 1983 divorce, included simply to round out the timeline of Girardi’s personal life. Throughout this period, she made no public statements and gave no interviews.
Where Is Karen Weitzul Now?
Karen Weitzul is believed to still live a private life in Pasadena, California, the city she and Girardi called home during their marriage. There’s no indication she has moved into public view at any point, even as Girardi’s case drew national media attention.
She has no known social media accounts, has not participated in documentaries or news specials covering the Girardi scandal, and has avoided public comment entirely.
Her situation reflects the same pattern she’s followed since the 1980s: staying separate from the public narrative that now surrounds her former husband.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Karen Weitzul?
Karen Weitzul is the first wife of disbarred attorney Thomas Girardi. She married him in 1964 and divorced him in 1983, decades before his legal scandal and fraud conviction.
When was Karen Weitzul born?
Her exact birth date isn’t publicly confirmed. Several sources place her birth year around 1941, though this isn’t backed by a verified public record.
Where did Karen Weitzul grow up?
She’s widely reported to have grown up in Wisconsin before her family’s connection to Southern California, where she later met Thomas Girardi. This detail isn’t independently verified.
Where did Karen Weitzul study?
She’s commonly linked to Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, though no official academic record confirms her enrollment or graduation.
When did Karen Weitzul marry Thomas Girardi?
She married Thomas Girardi in 1964, early in his legal career and long before he became a nationally known attorney.
Did Karen Weitzul and Thomas Girardi have children?
There are no confirmed public records of children from their marriage. Most sources agree the couple did not have children together.
When did Karen Weitzul divorce Thomas Girardi?
She filed for divorce in 1983, ending a marriage that lasted close to nineteen years.
Where is Karen Weitzul now?
She’s believed to still live privately in Pasadena, California, away from public attention and unconnected to Girardi’s later legal troubles.
Conclusion
Karen Weitzul’s story is defined less by public record and more by what she chose to avoid: fame, media attention, and any connection to the scandal that later defined her former husband’s name. She married Thomas Girardi in 1964, divorced him in 1983, and has lived privately ever since.
While Girardi’s later years brought federal fraud charges, disbarment, and a prison sentence, none of that touches Weitzul’s own history. Her life stands apart from his downfall, a reminder that not everyone connected to a public figure ends up living in their shadow.
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Jacob Reed is a writer at BlessingDew.com, sharing daily blessings, inspirational quotes, and spiritual thoughts to spread positivity and hope.
