Tom Sandoval has broken his silence after Us Weekly exclusively revealed that he was suing Ariana Madix over accessing explicit videos of Rachel “Raquel” Leviss.
Sandoval, 40, claimed in an Instagram statement on Thursday, July 18, that he didn’t intentionally file a lawsuit against Madix, 39.
“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 wrote. “He assured me that the action was customary and strictly preventative in these types of lawsuits and urged me to agree to it.”
Sandoval alleged, “The words ‘New Lawsuit’ or ‘Suing’ were not articulated to me.” However, he confessed, “I should’ve done more of my due diligence on the matter.”
The Vanderpump Rules star revealed that after he realized what “this action actually means, I have removed Matt Geragos from my legal team.” (Matt is the brother of Leviss’ attorney, Mark Geragos.)
Sandoval declared, “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.”
He concluded: “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.”
Us broke the news on Tuesday, July 16, that Sandoval filed paperwork claiming that Madix “obtained access” to his phone on March 1, 2023, and reviewed explicit videos of Leviss, 29, and Sandoval without his “authorization or permission.” (The date listed was when Madix learned that Sandoval was having an affair with Leviss.)
In the filing, Sandoval alleged that Madix — who called off their nine-year relationship in the wake of the scandal — “made copies” of the video and distributed it to “Leviss and third parties” without his knowledge.
Madix’s attorney, Jordan Susman, responded to Sandoval’s claims in a statement to Us on Tuesday, saying, “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.”
The statement continued: “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.”
Madix’s legal team maintained her innocence in the matter, concluding, “Ms. Madix is confident that a jury will see through this latest ploy and dismiss his frivolous claims.”
Sandoval’s now-former attorney, Matt, responded with his own statement on Wednesday, July 18. At the time, he said that while Sandoval “accepts responsibility for his affair, he strongly denies the allegations of the lawsuit filed by Rachel Leviss against him and Ms. Madix.”
Leviss previously filed her own lawsuit against Sandoval and Madix in February, accusing the exes of eavesdropping, revenge porn and an invasion of privacy. Sandoval countersued Leviss in April and requested that her lawsuit be dismissed.
Madix, for her part, filed a countersuit against Leviss that same month, claiming that Leviss was hoping to “punish” and “blame Ms. Madix for the negative reaction [she] received as a result of her affair.”
Madix’s legal team argued in their filing that the Love Island USA host learned about Sandoval’s affair “in the worst possible way” when she came across a video of him and Leviss “having phone sex.” She insisted she never shared the found footage with anyone but Leviss.
Sandoval’s attorney told Us on Wednesday that his ongoing legal battle with Leviss is what led to his new filing directed toward 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,” Matt stated. “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.”
