Tom Sandoval drops lawsuit against ex Ariana Madix after intense fan backlash

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Vanderpump Rules star Tom Sandoval has clarified he’s “in no way” suing ex-girlfriend Ariana Madix after his cheating scandal with former co-star Rachel “Raquel” Leviss.

The 42-year-old reality star initially filed a cross-complaint against the Love Island USA host, 39, over claims that she invaded his privacy and distributed explicit videos of him and Leviss without his permission. In the lawsuit, which was filed in Los Angeles court on July 17, Sandoval alleged that his privacy was invaded by Madix when she illegally “obtained access” to his phone on March 1, 2023, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Sandoval claimed Madix had reviewed “images, information, data, videos and/or communications” that included “FaceTime videos” between him and Leviss – with whom he was having a seven-month affair. He alleged in the filing that Madix did not have his “authorization or permission” to look at his phone or view videos on the device.

The TomTom Restaurant and Bar co-owner also claimed that Madix “made copies of the data and distributed the data to Leviss and third parties without [his] authorization or permission.”

At the time, attorneys for Madix denied the allegations in the lawsuit and criticized her ex-partner of nine years for attempting to “shirk personal responsibility” over the fallout of his affair with Leviss.

“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,” her lawyer, Jordan Susman, said in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter. “Mr. Sandoval knows full well what sort of privileges he and Ms. Madix shared in regard to their personal communication devices. 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,” he continued. “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.”

In a lengthy statement issued to his Instagram on Thursday, Sandoval announced he had dropped the lawsuit against Madix and fired his legal team after news of the cross-complaint made headlines.

“My attorney Matt Geragos, whose advice I trusted, called me about the cross-complaint in the lawsuit against myself and Ariana,” the Schwartz & Sandy’s co-owner wrote. “He assured me that the action was customary and strictly preventative in these types 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.”

Sandoval continued: “Upon realizing what this action actually means, I have removed Matt Geragos from my legal team. 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.”

His former attorney, Geragos, told Us Weekly that he had initially filed the cross-complaint “to ensure a fair and just determination of responsibility among all parties involved,” after Leviss had filed a separate lawsuit against Sandoval and Madix in February. The 29-year-old reality star is seeking a jury trial after accusing the exes of eavesdropping, revenge porn, and an invasion of privacy. While both Sandoval and Madix have attempted to dismiss Leviss’ claims in subsequent cross-complaints, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Daniel Crowley recently set a trial date for November 3, 2025.

In March 2023, it was reported by TMZ that Sandoval and Madix – who had been in a relationship since 2014 – had called it quits after she learned of his affair with Leviss. Sources later confirmed to People that Madix had found “a selfie video that was sexual in nature from Leviss” on Sandoval’s phone.

The fallout of the cheating scandal, nicknamed #Scandoval, saw Madix confront her ex-partner about his infidelity during the 10th season of Bravo’s Vanderpump Rules. Both Sandoval and Leviss issued apologies to Madix on social media in the days after their affair was revealed. After the 10th season wrapped filming in March 2023, Leviss checked into a two-month stay at a mental health facility in Arizona, where she sought “mental health and trauma therapy” treatment. In May 2023, it was reported that Sandoval and Leviss had officially ended their relationship.

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