The saga of disgraced lawyer Tom Girardi continues to play out like a made-for-TV legal drama. The latest episode involves a Los Angeles federal judge finally setting a trial date – May 21 – for Girardi to face wire fraud charges.

This new trial date comes after the judge ruled last week that Girardi is mentally fit to stand trial, despite his claims of dementia. Prosecutors are no doubt thrilled to get this show on the road after pushing for an early 2023 court date, while Girardi’s team unsuccessfully tried to delay the trial until early 2025.

But the main character in this real-life drama is Girardi himself. The once prominent California attorney, now disbarred, stands accused of misusing settlement funds meant for his clients – charges he vehemently denies. Yet the timing of his supposed mental decline looks pretty suspicious, conveniently surfacing only after he got caught up in the scandal involving payouts for the families of a 2018 plane crash.

Girardi’s outrageous behavior highlighted in the judge’s ruling – like enthusiastically participating in a 2020 legal panel – makes his mental deficiency claims seem downright laughable. Perhaps he should have picked a better time to develop “dementia” than right when he’s in legal hot water.

Yet Girardi is not the only one facing heat. Former staffers at his now-defunct law firm are also embroiled in the scandal. His brother now oversees Girardi’s personal affairs, but remains silent. With twisted plot lines involving sketchy money transfers, family ties, dramatic twists and turns, this case has all the hallmarks of a Hollywood drama.

As the curtain rises on the next act with Girardi’s day in court, all eyes in the legal community will be glued to the spectacle. Will Girardi own up to his misdeeds, or will his convenient “dementia” ultimately steal the spotlight?

The case is United States v. Girardi, U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, 2:23-cr-00047. See the ruling by Judge Staton.