Man Has Affair, Sues Ex-Girlfriend
In March 2023, Ariana Madix and Tom Sandoval broke up after a decade together and a jointly purchased house in 2019. This all occurred right after Vanderpump Rules season 10 wrapped filming. Sandoval was reportedly on stage performing, and Madix got hold of his cell phone.
On Vanderpump Rules, Madix justified looking through Sandoval’s phone as “intuition.” Lo and behold, she found evidence that Sandoval was having an affair with Pump co-star Rachel “Raquel” Leviss.
In February 2024, this evidence landed all Vanderpump co-stars in court when Leviss sued Ariana Madix and Tom Sandoval for Revenge Porn, Eavesdropping and Invasion of Privacy. The story goes that what Madix found on Sandoval’s phone was a screen recording of a sexually explicit FaceTime between him and Leviss. Madix sent this video to herself, then to Leviss, asking, “Is this true?” Levis quickly confessed, and chaos ensued in an alleyway in West Hollywood where Madix confronted Sandoval.
Coincidently, this was the same night that Leviss accused Vanderpump co-star Scheana Shay of punching her backstage Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen. (It was quickly dismissed)
According to court documents regarding Leviss’ lawsuit against Sandoval and Madix, Madix reports that Sandoval took her phone from her and promptly deleted the video, indicating no malicious spreading of the explicit video to other people. This defense against Leviss’ accusations quickly soothed worried fans.
However, the issue remained that Sandoval recorded Leviss without her consent in a sexually compromising action, which goes against several laws in California. Despite the blame for the short-lived circulation of this video, Tom Sandoval has found the gall to now sue Ariana Madix for accessing explicit videos of Leviss without his “authorization.”
[Update 7/19/2024: Sandoval has withdrawn the lawsuit after days of backlash, saying he misunderstood his lawyer. He said on Instagram, “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. In no way am I suing Ariana.” The rest of this article remains as originally published.]
If you ask me, I find it bonkers that he has the confidence to accuse Madix of something regarding consent when he nonconsensually exposed Madix to the risks of continuing their sexual relationship while he had affairs, in addition to the public scrutiny once it all went public. It also seems that Ariana Madix’s attorney, Jordan Susman, agrees with me.
“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.” He continues, “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.”
When the reported lawsuit was posted to the r/vanderpumprules thread, fans were quick to offer their two cents. Some insinuated that Sandoval is broke and in need of a payout. Others blamed this ambitious decision on drug use. Also prevalent is the number of fans accusing Sandoval of being jealous of Ariana Madix’s newfound fame as the host of Love Island U.S. Another lawsuit continues to punish Madix for flourishing post-breakup, especially with Leviss’s suit not being the only legal battle they face. The exes are also battling through litigation to finalize the future of their house in the Valley: Madix wants to sell, and Sandoval intends to keep (and not pay total market value to co-owner Madix).
Regardless of his motives, these actions, in themselves, are despicable. It goes to show just how egotistical some people can be: to think to make yourself a victim after having an affair with your partner’s friend and then suing your ex-partner for how they found out you were unfaithful? It doesn’t sound like real life; I feel like I fell asleep and woke up in a soap opera during the writer’s strike. When will this villain rest?
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