Tom Sandoval drops lawsuit against Ariana Madix
Tom Sandoval has dropped a lawsuit against his ex-girlfriend Ariana Madix after he sued the TV star over allegations she accessed explicit videos of Rachel Leviss - the woman he had an affair with - on his phone.
Tom Sandoval has dropped a lawsuit against his ex-girlfriend Ariana Madix.
The 40-year-old TV star sued Ariana, 39, earlier this month over allegations she accessed explicit videos of Rachel Leviss - the woman he had an affair with - on his phone. Ariana had previously discovered Tom had been cheating on her with their 'Vanderpump Rules' co-star Rachel, 29, when she found messages between them on his device and Tom went on to sue his ex for snooping - but he's now dropped the suit and blamed one of his lawyers for the filing.
In a statement posted on Instagram, Tom 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 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. Upon realising 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 had 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."
It comes after Ariana's attorney Jordan Susman condemned Tom's legal filing, telling Us Weekly, '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.
"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."
The fall out previously hit the courts back in February, when Rachel sued Tom and Ariana, accusing them of eavesdropping, revenge porn and an invasion of privacy.
Tom's former attorney, Matthew Geragos, said of her claims: "While Tom Sandoval accepts responsibility for his affair, he strongly denies the allegations of the lawsuit filed by Rachel Leviss against him and Ms. Madix.
"In order to ensure a fair and just determination of responsibility among all parties involved, we filed a cross complaint on behalf of Mr. Sandoval. 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. We aim to resolve this legal dispute with upmost respect towards all parties involved."
