Sandoval drops lawsuit against Madix; claims he was misled about legal action.
Tom Sandoval has officially dropped the lawsuit he filed against his ex-girlfriend Ariana Madix, just a day after initiating legal action.
The Vanderpump Rules star, 42, had accused Madix, 39, of invading his privacy and distributing explicit videos of him and Rachel Leviss without his permission.
However, in a statement released on Thursday, Sandoval announced he was no longer pursuing the case.
Sandoval initially filed the suit on Wednesday, July 17, alleging that Madix had accessed his phone without his permission on March 1, 2023.
According to the complaint, Madix reviewed and copied images, information, data, videos, and communications, including FaceTime videos between Sandoval and Leviss, with whom he was having an affair.
The legal action was abruptly halted the next day when Sandoval took to Instagram to explain his decision to drop the suit. He revealed that he had also removed attorney Matt Geragos from his legal team, stating that he had been misled about the nature of the legal action.
“Geragos advised me on Tuesday, July 16, about the Cross-Complaint in the lawsuit against myself and Ariana,” Sandoval 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 claimed that the terms “New Lawsuit” or “Suing” were never articulated to him, leading him to misunderstand the nature of the action.
“I should’ve done more of my due diligence on the matter. Upon realizing what this action actually means, I have removed Matt Geragos from my legal team,” Sandoval continued. He clarified, “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,” he added.
Sandoval concluded his Instagram statement by expressing his desire to resolve the case quickly, allowing both him and Madix to move on with their lives.
PEOPLE reached out to Geragos for comment but had not received a response at the time of publication.
In the initial lawsuit complaint obtained by PEOPLE, Sandoval accused Madix of making copies of the data and distributing it to Leviss and other third parties without his authorization.
He sought punitive damages for what he described as an invasion of his privacy. The alleged incident occurred on March 1, 2023, two days before it was publicly confirmed that Sandoval and Madix had ended their nine-year relationship due to his affair with Leviss.
Sandoval’s lawsuit claimed that Madix invaded his right to privacy through her unauthorized access, use, and copying of the data on his cell phone, and the subsequent distribution of that data to Leviss.
He also alleged that Madix acted with intent to vex, injure, or annoy him, and with a willful disregard of his rights.
In response to Sandoval’s statement, Madix’s attorney, Jordan Susman, told PEOPLE, “We are pleased that Mr. Sandoval has stated his intention to dismiss his cross-complaint against Ms. Madix.
This entire lawsuit against Ms. Madix is without merit, and it is only a matter of time before it is dismissed completely.”
Susman had previously commented on the lawsuit on Wednesday, July 17, stating that Madix was confident a jury would see through Sandoval’s claims and dismiss them as frivolous.
He criticized Sandoval for continuing to torment Madix, suggesting that Sandoval knew the nature of the privileges they shared regarding 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,” Susman said.
These events unfolded nearly five months after Leviss, 29, sued Sandoval and Madix over claims of eavesdropping, revenge porn, and invasion of privacy.
In Leviss’ February filing, she claimed that the fallout from the affair, dubbed “Scandoval,” had captured public attention and caused significant disruption in her life, leading to a voluntary stay at a mental health facility and her departure from Vanderpump Rules.
In response to Leviss’ lawsuit, Sandoval countered that her filing was an attempt to extend her fame and rebrand herself as a victim.
He challenged her allegations that he surreptitiously recorded explicit videos of her, claiming that the videos were created and shared consensually via FaceTime.
Additionally, in April, Madix’s attorney claimed that Leviss was seeking to punish Madix and blame her for the negative reaction Leviss received following the revelation of her affair with Sandoval.
With Sandoval’s latest statement, it appears that the legal battles among the former Vanderpump Rules cast members may be nearing a conclusion.
Madix and her legal team remain confident that the remaining claims will be dismissed, allowing all parties involved to move on from this tumultuous chapter.
