Tom Sandoval sues Ariana Madix for invasion of privacy

Scandoval court saga continues: Tom Sandoval sues Ariana Madix for invasion of privacy

Tom Sandoval in a black shirt and tan hat sitting next to Ariana Madix in a pink button-up blouse.

July 17, 2024 1:50 PM PT

The messy Scandoval cheating scandal continues to spur more legal fallout, as “Vanderpump Rules” star Tom Sandoval sues ex-girlfriend and co-star Ariana Madix for invasion of privacy.

Madix accessed her former longtime partner’s phone in March 2023 and “reviewed images information, data, videos and/or communications,” including sexually explicit FaceTime footage of co-star Rachel Leviss, without his “authorization or permission,” Sandoval alleged in a cross-complaint filed Tuesday in Los Angeles County Superior Court.

Madix also allegedly made copies of the explicit Leviss footage and “distributed the [videos] to Leviss and third parties” without Sandoval’s consent, the complaint says.

The counterclaim hails from a lawsuit that Leviss, 29, (formerly “Raquel Leviss”), filed in February, accusing Sandoval, 42, and Madix, 39, of eavesdropping, revenge porn, invasion of privacy and intentional infliction of emotional distress. Leviss filed her lawsuit a year after the tabloid scandal revealed that she had been sleeping with Sandoval, Madix’s longtime boyfriend.

Both Leviss’ lawsuit and Sandoval’s countercomplaint center on an incident on March 1, 2023, where Madix allegedly went through Sandoval’s phone after it fell from his pocket during a West Hollywood performance with his band. She found sexually explicit footage from a FaceTime call between Leviss and Sandoval, sparking the cheating scandal. In her lawsuit, Leviss accused Sandoval of recording her without her consent.

Sandoval alleges that Madix, by going through his phone without his consent and sharing video of Leviss, was “guilty of oppression, fraud, or malice, in that [Madix] acted with the intent to vex, injure or annoy [Sandoval] and/or with a willful and conscious disregard of [Sandoval’s] rights.”

Jordan Susman, an attorney for Madix, told The Times in a statement “it is abhorrent that Tom Sandoval continues to torment Ms. Madix.” Susman condemned Sandoval and accused him of trying to “shirk personal responsibilities for the effects his actions had” on Madix.

“Mr. Sandoval knows full well what sort of privileges he and Ms. Madix shared in regard to their personal communication devices,” Susman said. “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.”

Susman said Madix is “confident” that the court will “see through” Sandoval and his “frivolous” allegations.

Sandoval is seeking judicial determination for comparative fault in the Leviss lawsuit, general damages, legal fees and more.

Times researcher Scott Wilson contributed to this report.