Celebrity News August 14, 2024
Ariana Madix Breaks Silence on Tom Sandoval’s Lawsuit
Ariana Madix just shared her reaction to Tom Sandoval’s lawsuit.
Last month, it was reported that Sandoval sued Madix over videos of Rachel “Raquel” Leviss that she found on his phone. The lawsuit stemmed from a suit Leviss had filed against Tom and Ariana. Sandoval later claimed in a now deleted Instagram message that it was all a misunderstanding and fired his lawyer.
The subject came up during Madix’s appearance on “Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen” this week, as a fan asked if Ariana believed Tom’s version of events.
Madix just shrugged.
Cohen followed up, asking, “What was your reaction when you saw that? You must have been quite furious.”
Ariana admitted, “It was a really bad day.”
Andy told her he would hope her “bad days are over.” Madix laughed as she said, “That would be great.”
Ariana Madix from #PumpRules reacts to that Tom Sandoval lawsuit kerfuffle. #WWHL pic.twitter.com/FXEhUvthAF @BravoWWHL
After news broke in July that Tom was suing Ariana, he cleared the air on social media.
Sandoval insisted on Instagram, “In no way am I suing Ariana. The action against Ariana brought on my behalf is being removed. I hold no ill will or vindictiveness toward Ariana. Now, by removing both the Cross-Complaint and the attorney who recommended it, I hope to get through this case quickly, so that Ariana and I can both finally MOVE ON with our lives.”
As for what happened, Sandoval explained, “Late Tuesday afternoon, my attorney Matt Geragos, whose advice I trusted, called me about the Cross-Complaint in the lawsuit against myself and Ariana. He assured me that the action was customary and strictly preventative in these type of lawsuits and urged me to agree to it. The words ‘New Lawsuit’ or ‘Suing’ were not articulated to me. I should’ve done more of my due diligence on the matter. Upon realizing what this action actually means, I have removed Matt Geragos from my legal team.”
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.”
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View StoryThe papers accused Madix of making copies of the video and distributing them to “Leviss and third parties.”
Meanwhile, in February, Leviss filed a lawsuit against Tom and Ariana 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.