Karen Weitzul: What Public Records Reveal About Tom Girardi’s First Wife

Who Is Karen Weitzul?

Karen Weitzul is best known as the first wife of former California attorney Thomas Vincent “Tom” Girardi. Interest in her name has grown because Girardi later became one of the most notorious figures in the American legal world, but Karen’s own public record is much quieter.

That difference matters.

Unlike many people who become searchable through a famous spouse, Karen Weitzul does not have an extensive celebrity biography, public career profile, verified social-media presence, or long history of interviews. Most reliable information about her comes from historical archives, family records, her marriage to Girardi, and court-related reporting involving spousal support.

There are also details about Karen online that cannot be established with confidence. Claims about her exact birth date, current net worth, profession, children, or present residence often appear without strong documentation. A trustworthy Karen Weitzul biography should therefore separate confirmed information from assumptions.

What the public record does reveal is interesting enough without embellishment.

Karen Weitzul Quick Facts

Detail	Verified or responsibly reported information
Full name	Karen Weitzul
Also referenced as	Karen Weitzul Girardi / Karen Girardi
Known for	First wife of Tom Girardi
Marriage	Reported to have begun in August 1964
Divorce filing	Reportedly filed in October 1983
Mother	Mary Weitzul DuMont
Father/family connection	Edward Weitzul is identified in Mary’s obituary as her husband and father of the family they started together
Siblings	Thomas Weitzul, Patricia Weitzul Price and James Weitzul
Early public record	Finalist in Loyola’s 1959 Homecoming Queen contest
Career	Not reliably established in strong public sources
Children	Not clearly established by the public records reviewed
Net worth	No reliable verified figure
Later public mention	Spousal-support claim connected to Girardi’s bankruptcy

The strongest family information comes from Mary Weitzul DuMont’s Los Angeles Times obituary, while Karen’s 1959 Loyola appearance is preserved by the USC Libraries archive through Calisphere.

Karen Weitzul’s Early Public Record

One of the most interesting independently documented details about Karen Weitzul predates her marriage to Tom Girardi.

An archival image preserved by Calisphere and the University of Southern California Libraries identifies Karen Weitzul as one of ten finalists in Loyola’s Homecoming Queen contest in 1959. The record dates the event to November 17, 1959.

This small piece of history is important because it gives Karen an identity in the public record separate from her former husband.

It also requires careful interpretation.

Being listed as a Loyola Homecoming Queen finalist establishes that she participated in that campus event. It does not, by itself, prove a particular degree, graduation date, academic major, or career path. Some newer biography sites turn this single record into detailed stories about her education and personality, but those additional claims are not contained in the archive.

The most accurate conclusion is simple: Karen was publicly connected to Loyola’s campus community by 1959.

Karen Weitzul’s Family Background

Karen’s family background is better documented than some online articles suggest.

A 2007 obituary published by the Los Angeles Times for Mary Weitzul DuMont explains that Mary worked for a railroad in Chicago when she met civil engineer Edward Weitzul. The couple married, started a family, and eventually moved to Southern California with their four children.

According to the obituary, Mary and Edward established an engineering and construction company in Southern California. Their business began with private homes and expanded into commercial buildings and public schools. Edward died in 1974.

Most importantly for Karen Weitzul’s biography, the obituary names Mary’s surviving children as:

Karen Weitzul Girardi, Thomas Weitzul, Patricia Weitzul Price and James Weitzul.

This gives researchers a much firmer picture of Karen’s immediate family than many short celebrity-style profiles provide.

Karen Weitzul Family and Relationships

Relationship	Name	Public record
Mother	Mary Weitzul DuMont	Identified through her 2007 Los Angeles Times obituary
Family father	Edward Weitzul	Mary married Edward, and they started their family together
Brother	Thomas Weitzul	Named among Mary’s four children
Sister	Patricia Weitzul Price	Named among Mary’s four children
Brother	James Weitzul	Named among Mary’s four children
Former husband	Thomas Vincent Girardi	Married Karen in 1964
Children	Not confirmed	Available family records do not clearly identify whether Karen herself had children

Mary’s obituary states that she was survived by nine grandchildren and twelve great-grandchildren. However, it does not identify which of her four children were the parents of those grandchildren. It would therefore be inaccurate to use that obituary alone as proof that Karen had children.

Karen Weitzul and Tom Girardi

The relationship that made Karen Weitzul widely searchable began in the 1960s.

Public biographical reporting places Karen Weitzul and Tom Girardi’s marriage in 1964. Us Weekly lists Girardi as married to Karen from 1964 to 1983, while other reporting gives August 1964 as the marriage period and says Karen filed for divorce in October 1983.

At the time, Girardi was still early in his legal career. His California Bar profile shows that he was admitted to practice law in January 1965.

That timing places Karen’s marriage to Girardi well before his later fame, his association with major litigation, his marriage to reality television personality Erika Jayne, and the financial and criminal scandal that eventually destroyed his professional reputation.

Karen therefore belongs to a much earlier chapter of Girardi’s life.

When Did Karen Weitzul and Tom Girardi Divorce?

This is one of the areas where online biographies can become confusing.

Several sources describe Girardi’s first marriage as lasting from 1964 until 1983, and reporting says Karen filed for divorce in October 1983.

However, later reporting about her spousal-support rights refers to obligations arising from a 1989 divorce settlement. Coverage of the financial dispute stated that Girardi had been required to pay Karen $10,000 per month under that arrangement.

Those dates are not necessarily contradictory.

The safest way to describe the timeline is that divorce proceedings began in 1983, while later legal or financial terms connected to the dissolution were documented in 1989.

Presenting “1983” and “1989” as interchangeable divorce dates without explanation creates unnecessary confusion.

What Is Known About Karen Weitzul’s Career?

Very little reliable public information establishes a specific Karen Weitzul career.

There is no strong evidence in the sources reviewed that she worked as an attorney, entertainer, executive, author, media personality, or public official.

Her parents’ involvement in an engineering and construction company also should not be transformed into a claim that Karen worked for the family business. Mary’s obituary documents the parents’ business activities but does not assign Karen a professional role in that company.

That may seem like a frustrating gap for someone searching for a complete biography, but it is better to acknowledge missing information than invent a profession.

Karen’s public identity is principally historical and familial rather than professional.

Why Did Karen Weitzul Return to Public Attention?

For decades after her marriage ended, Karen’s name attracted relatively little mainstream attention.

That changed as Tom Girardi’s financial situation collapsed.

Reporting in 2022 said Karen asserted that Girardi owed her approximately $245,000 in unpaid spousal support. Reports traced the dispute back to Girardi’s obligation to pay $10,000 per month and said Karen had previously sought court intervention after payments stopped.

The dispute became connected with Girardi’s Pasadena property and bankruptcy proceedings.

In December 2022, reporting based on bankruptcy-related court records said Karen had reached a $200,000 settlement concerning the unpaid support claim. The reported agreement also involved relinquishing future support claims against Girardi.

This financial dispute is one of the main reasons people searching Girardi’s history began encountering Karen Weitzul’s name again.

Was Karen Weitzul Involved in Tom Girardi’s Crimes?

There is an important distinction between appearing in reporting connected to Girardi’s bankruptcy and being implicated in the crimes that led to his conviction.

The public sources reviewed do not establish that Karen Weitzul participated in Girardi’s criminal conduct.

Her later appearance in the story concerned money she claimed Girardi owed her under their earlier marital arrangements.

Girardi’s own legal situation was dramatically different. The State Bar of California records him as disbarred, with his disbarment effective July 1, 2022.

A federal jury found Girardi guilty of four counts of wire fraud in August 2024. On June 3, 2025, the U.S. Department of Justice announced that he had been sentenced to 87 months in federal prison, ordered to pay a $35,000 fine and more than $2.3 million in restitution.

Karen should not be portrayed as part of those crimes simply because she was once married to him.

Karen Weitzul and Erika Jayne

Karen Weitzul is occasionally searched alongside Erika Jayne, but the two women occupy very different periods of Girardi’s personal history.

Karen’s marriage began in 1964. Girardi married Erika Jayne decades later, in January 2000, after another marriage in between.

Erika developed a highly visible entertainment and reality-TV career, while Karen’s surviving public footprint is much smaller.

There is no need to manufacture a rivalry between them.

Their relevance to the Girardi story comes from having been married to the same man at completely different stages of his life.

What We Don’t Know About Karen Weitzul

Several details commonly found on biography websites deserve caution.

Karen Weitzul’s age and birthday

The historical record confirms her presence at a Loyola event in 1959, but the strong sources reviewed here do not establish an exact date of birth. Publishing a precise birthday or age without a dependable source would therefore be speculation.

Karen Weitzul’s net worth

No authoritative financial disclosure establishes Karen’s personal net worth.

Receiving or claiming spousal support cannot be used to calculate someone’s total wealth. Websites publishing precise Karen Weitzul net worth estimates should be treated cautiously unless they disclose credible financial documentation.

Karen Weitzul’s children

Mary DuMont’s obituary records grandchildren but does not state which of her children were their parents. It therefore cannot establish that Karen had or did not have children.

Karen Weitzul’s current residence

Some entertainment sites have claimed that Karen lived in Pasadena, but a current private residence is not necessary to understand her public biography and should not be guessed from old reporting.

Why People Still Search for Karen Weitzul

Search interest in Karen makes sense because her story provides context for Tom Girardi’s life before the period most television viewers recognize.

Her public record connects several eras:

the late-1950s Loyola community, her Southern California family background, Girardi’s early legal career, a marriage beginning in 1964, divorce proceedings in the 1980s, and an unexpected return to court-related reporting nearly four decades later.

That timeline is more useful than creating a dramatic “secret life” narrative.

Karen Weitzul’s story is ultimately an example of how an otherwise private person’s name can become permanently attached to a much more public figure.

Frequently Asked Questions About Karen Weitzul

Who is Karen Weitzul?

Karen Weitzul is best known publicly as the first wife of former attorney Tom Girardi. She also appears independently in a 1959 USC Libraries archival record as one of ten finalists in Loyola’s Homecoming Queen contest.

When did Karen Weitzul marry Tom Girardi?

Public reporting places their marriage in August 1964. Karen reportedly filed for divorce in October 1983.

Who are Karen Weitzul’s parents?

A Los Angeles Times obituary documents Karen’s mother as Mary Weitzul DuMont and explains that Mary married civil engineer Edward Weitzul, with whom she started a family before they moved to Southern California.

Does Karen Weitzul have siblings?

Yes. Mary’s obituary identifies Karen alongside Thomas Weitzul, Patricia Weitzul Price and James Weitzul.

Does Karen Weitzul have children?

The reliable records reviewed do not provide enough information to answer this conclusively. Mary’s obituary mentions nine grandchildren across her family but does not identify which of her four children were their parents.

What does Karen Weitzul do for a living?

A specific profession is not reliably documented in the strongest publicly available sources reviewed for this biography.

How much money did Tom Girardi owe Karen Weitzul?

Reporting in 2022 said Karen claimed approximately $245,000 in unpaid spousal support. Later reporting said a $200,000 settlement was reached in connection with the bankruptcy proceedings.

Was Karen Weitzul involved in Tom Girardi’s fraud case?

The reviewed sources do not establish involvement by Karen in Girardi’s criminal fraud. Her documented financial dispute concerned spousal support. Girardi himself was convicted of four wire-fraud counts and sentenced to 87 months in federal prison in 2025.

Final Thoughts

A useful Karen Weitzul biography does not need an invented net worth, fictional career, unverified birth date, or dramatic personality description.

The documented story is already clear.

Karen came from the Weitzul family that moved from the Chicago area to Southern California. Her mother, Mary, and Edward Weitzul built an engineering and construction business there. Karen appeared among Loyola’s Homecoming Queen finalists in 1959 and married Tom Girardi in 1964. Divorce proceedings began in the 1980s, and decades later her name returned to public reporting because of unpaid spousal-support claims connected to Girardi’s financial collapse.

What happened outside those documented moments largely remains outside the public record.

For readers searching Karen Weitzul family, parents, siblings, husband, career, personal life, biography, Tom Girardi’s first wife, or Karen Weitzul and Erika Jayne, the most important distinction is between what is genuinely known and what the internet has merely repeated.

That distinction makes the story more credible—and far more useful than another biography built around guesses.