Celebrity News July 17, 2024
Tom Sandoval Sues Ariana Madix Over Videos of Rachel Leviss She Found on His Phone
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The Scandoval drama continues!
Tom Sandoval is now suing Ariana Madix over videos of Rachel “Raquel” Leviss that she found on his phone, Us Weekly reports. The news comes after Leviss filed a lawsuit against Tom and Ariana in February claiming — among other things — that explicit videos of her were allegedly filmed “without her knowledge or consent” and “distributed, disseminated, and discussed publicly by a scorned woman [Madix] seeking vengeance."
Sandoval and Madix tried to have the case thrown out, but a judge has now set a court date for November 2025.
The aftermath of Ariana finding the videos played out on “Vanderpump Rules” as Tom and Ariana broke up after nine years together. Leviss ultimately left the show.
According to the docs obtained by Us Weekly, Ariana “obtained access” to Tom’s phone on March 1, 2023, and accessed explicit videos of Leviss without “authorization or permission.”
He goes on to accuse Madix of making copies of the video and distributing them to “Leviss and third parties.”
Madix’s attorney, Jordan Susman told the magazine in a statement, “It is abhorrent that Tom Sandoval continues to torment Ms. Madix. From engaging in an illicit affair that shattered her home and stability, to months of emotional warfare and now this attempt to further shirk personal responsibility for the effects his actions have had on her and her emotional wellbeing. Tom Sandoval knows full well what sort of privileges he and Ms. Madix shared in regard to their personal communication devices.”
Susman continued, “If he or his mistress had their way, it would be illegal for someone to discover their spouse or significant other was having an affair. For Mr. Sandoval to go from begging Ms. Madix for forgiveness to blaming her for his wrongdoing speaks for itself. Even months after the New York Times branded Mr. Sandoval ‘the most hated man in America,’ he has clearly learned nothing and believes it necessary to continue torturing Ms. Madix in a vain effort to rehabilitate his image. Ms. Madix is confident that a jury will see through this latest ploy and dismiss his frivolous claims.”
Sandoval’s attorney Matthew Geragos (brother of Leviss’ attorney Mark Geragos) claimed in a statement to the magazine, that Sandoval’s lawsuit is directly related to Leviss’ claims.
“While Tom Sandoval accepts responsibility for his affair, he strongly denies the allegations of the lawsuit filed by Rachel Leviss against him and Ms. Madix,” Matthew Geragos stated. “In order to ensure a fair and just determination of responsibility among all parties involved, we filed a cross complaint on behalf of Mr. Sandoval. This customary legal action was crucial to ensure that liability, if any, is fairly distributed based on the actual level of involvement and fault of each party. We aim to resolve this legal dispute with upmost respect towards all parties involved.”
In May, Ariana and Tom discussed Leviss during the “Vanderpump Rules” reunion.
Madix told Sandoval, "You also brought this sh*tty person into both of our lives in a very f**ked up way and this bitch has to f**king talk about me all the time. You did that!"
Sandoval replied, "I feel really bad about that. I understand. I wish you the best, and I will definitely give you your space. We'll figure everything out, we have our lawyers, don't worry about it. I understand."
Back in January, “Extra” spoke with Ariana and Tom separately about how they were doing after Scandoval.
Ariana talked about leaning on friends, saying, “My friends are everything. They inspire me so much with their strength… I hope that in the way they have been there for me, I hope that I can be there for them… Friends from all different phases and eras of my life are now best friends on their own… We all just became one family. It’s been really, really awesome.”
Tom talked about the changes in his life. “I have done a lot of work on myself… Worked really, really hard to mend friendships, to really focus on the things that are important in life. It sort of was a perspective change for me,” he said. “I feel like I was lost in a current, in a cyclone, getting my feet back on the ground, approaching it from a place of sobriety really facing it, I feel like that really just got me to grow the most. When you go through the hardest things, it really got me to grow the most.”