Tom Sandoval was apparently misled into suing his former girlfriend Ariana Madix. Three days after the lawsuit made headlines, the 40-year-old Vanderpump Rules star shared a statement to his reactivated Instagram account, clarifying that he is “in no way suing” Ariana, 39.
“Late Tuesday morning, my attorney Matt Geragos, whose advice I trusted, called me about the cross-complaint in the lawsuit against myself and Ariana,” Tom began in his statement. “He assured me that the action was customary and strictly preventative in these types of lawsuits and urged me to agree to it.”
Clarifying that “the words ‘new lawsuit’ or ‘suing’ were not articulated” to him, Tom admitted that he “should’ve done more of [his] due diligence on the matter.” The Tom Sandoval & The Most Extras vocalist also pointed out that he fired his lawyer.
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“Upon realizing what this action actually means, I have removed Matt Geragos from my legal team,” he added, before clarifying, “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.”
At the end of his statement, the Bravo star noted that he hopes “to get through this case quickly, so that Ariana and I can both finally MOVE ON with our lives.”
On Tuesday, July 16, court documents were uncovered from the lawsuit, in which Tom claimed that Ariana had accessed his phone — which included sexually explicit content of Rachel Leviss — without his “authorization or permission.”
Ariana’s attorney, Jordan Susman, promptly responded to the lawsuit, according to a statement obtained by Us Weekly. Jordan called Tom’s accusations “abhorrent” and claimed that he “continues to torment” the Buying Back My Daughter actress.
“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,” Jordan’s statement read. “For Mr. Sandoval to go from begging Ms. Madix for forgiveness to blaming her for his wrongdoing speaks for itself. … Tom Sandoval knows full well what sort of privileges he and Ms. Madix shared in regard to their personal communication devices.”
In March 2023, Tom and Ariana ended their nearly decade-long relationship after she found out that Tom and Rachel, 29, were having an affair. The situation blew up on social media and became known as “Scandoval.”