Tom Sandoval's Legal Woes 'Continuing to Torment' Ariana Madix, Says Lawyer

Tom Sandoval is in hot water again. The Vanderpump Rules star is facing criticism for suing his ex-girlfriend Ariana Madix. This comes a year after he cheated on her with their friend Raquel Leviss. Madix's lawyer, Jordan Susman, is not happy about the lawsuit. He told Page Six that Sandoval's actions are "abhorrent." Susman said Sandoval is "continuing to torment" Madix by accusing her of accessing explicit videos of Leviss on his phone without permission.

The lawsuit claims Madix copied the videos and sent them to Leviss and others. But Madix's lawyer says she didn't do anything wrong. He stated, "Madix is confident that a jury will see through this latest ploy and dismiss his frivolous claims." Susman didn't hold back in criticizing Sandoval. He said, "For Mr. Sandoval to go from begging Ms. Madix for forgiveness to blaming her for his wrongdoing speaks for itself. He has clearly learned nothing and believes it necessary to continue torturing Ms. Madix in a vain effort to rehabilitate his image," as per The Daily Mail. 

The lawyer called out Sandoval for trying to avoid responsibility. He said the lawsuit is an "attempt to further shirk personal responsibility for the effects his actions have had on her and her emotional wellbeing." Susman pointed out that Sandoval had "engaged in an illicit affair" and "shattered her home and stability." Susman also noted that Sandoval "knows full well what sort of privileges he and Ms. Madix shared regarding their personal communication devices." This suggests that Madix may have had permission to access Sandoval's phone.

Katie Maloney, another Vanderpump Rules cast member, also criticized Sandoval on Instagram. She wrote in a comments section, "He did share his phone password with his partner at that time. Man confused about how that bit works I guess. … You f–king suck dude." The backlash against Sandoval has been intense. He has even deactivated his Instagram account. Fans are now venting their rage on the Instagram page of Tom Tom, the restaurant he co-owns with Tom Schwartz. This court dispute is part of a bigger story involving Sandoval, Madix, and Leviss. It all began when Madix discovered an intimate video of Leviss on Sandoval's phone in March 2023. This disclosed their months-long romance, prompting Madix to end her relationship with Sandoval after nine years together.

Leviss filed a lawsuit against Sandoval and Madix in February 2024. She charged them with revenge pornography and with that the case was also for eavesdropping and violation of privacy. Sandoval's case against Madix is now considered a "cross-complaint" in response to Leviss' lawsuit. Sandoval's lawyer, Matthew Geragos, said why the case was filed: "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."