Ariana Madix's lawyer calls her ex Tom Sandoval 'abhorrent' for 'tormenting' her with new lawsuit

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Ariana Madix's attorney slammed Tom Sandoval over his decision to sue her for accessing explicit videos of Rachel 'Raquel' Leviss on his cell phone without his 'authorization.'

After filing a lawsuit against his former girlfriend, who he dated for nine years before their split in March 2023, Madix's lawyer, Jordan Susman, called the 42-year-old Vanderpump Rules star's latest move 'abhorrent.'

Susman accused him of 'continu[ing] to torment' his ex, who Sandoval claims 'made copies' of videos of him and Leviss, 29, without his 'permission,' per court documents, obtained by Us Weekly.  

Her attorney told Page Six he Madix 'is confident that a jury will see through this latest ploy and dismiss his frivolous claims.' 

'For Mr. Sandoval to go from begging Ms. Madix for forgiveness to blaming her for his wrongdoing speaks for itself,' Susman wrote in a statement. 

Ariana Madix's attorney slammed Tom Sandoval over his decision to sue her for accessing explicit videos of Rachel 'Raquel' Leviss on his cell phone without his 'authorization'

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Tom Sandoval SUES ex Ariana Madix for accessing explicit videos of Rachel Leviss

'He has clearly learned nothing and believes it necessary to continue torturing Ms. Madix in a vain effort to rehabilitate his image.' 

Susman called the legal filing an 'attempt to further shirk personal responsibility for the effects his actions have had on her and her emotional wellbeing' after 'engaging in an illicit affair' and 'shatt[ering] her home and stability.' 

The scandal goes back to the explosive season 9 finale of Bravo's Vanderpump Rules last year, when cameras captured Madix as she discovered explicit footage of Rachel on her then-boyfriend's phone. 

The nearly decade-long relationship between Madix and Sandoval imploded amid the scandal, and Sandoval's subsequent romance with Leviss also ended this past May. 

In a statement to Us Weekly, her lawyer insisted that '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,' the statement continued.

After filing a lawsuit against his former girlfriend, who he dated for nine years before their split in March 2023, Madix's lawyer, Jordan Susman, called the 42-year-old Vanderpump Rules star's latest move 'abhorrent' (seen in November 2023)

'Even months after the New York Times branded Mr. Sandoval “the most hated man in America,” he has clearly learned nothing and believes it necessary to continue torturing Ms. Madix in a vain effort to rehabilitate his image.'

It comes after Leviss sued Tom and Ariana for 'revenge porn, eavesdropping and invasion of privacy' following last year's Scandoval drama.

In her filing, Leviss accused Sandoval of violating California's Revenge Porn law by recording sexually charged sex videos without her permission and keeping them on his phone.

One was a FaceTime video Madix reportedly saw when she was looking through Sandoval's phone the night she discovered the Tom Tom co-owner had been cheating on her.

Susman accused him of 'continu[ing] to torment' his ex, who Sandoval is alleging 'made copies' of videos of him and Leviss, 29, without his 'permission,' per court documents, obtained by Us Weekly (Madix is seen in January)

Leviss claimed in her suit that it was her former lover who recorded the explicit FaceTime call. 

'Scandoval’ captured the public’s attention in a massive way, went completely viral, and injected new life into Vanderpump Rules,' the complaint, obtained by DailyMail.com, stated.

'It also caused mayhem in Leviss's life, culminating in months-long in-patient treatment at a mental health facility and her departure from the show. Fomented by Bravo and Evolution in conjunction with the cast, Leviss was subjected to a public skewering with little precedent and became, without exaggeration, one of the most hated women in America.'

Tom went on to slam Leviss' lawsuit as he responded to the filing in his own legal documents. He branded it a 'thinly veiled attempt to extend her fame and to rebrand herself as the victim instead of the other woman.'

Sandoval, who cried on camera after Leviss claimed she never loved him during their seven month affair, took issue with the suit labeling him as 'predatory'.

He also said it denigrated his ex-partner as a 'scorned woman,' according to legal documents obtained by People. 

In his counter-claim, the cover singer alleged 'These videos were created by Leviss and published by Leviss to Sandoval via a consensual exchange on FaceTime… Based on Leviss’ own allegations, Sandoval merely saved private copies of the videos that Leviss filmed and shared with him.' 

He has asked for the case to be dismissed or that Leviss' lawsuit be amended.

Although she has not named Bravo or production company Evolution Media in her lawsuit, Leviss asserts that they, along with other members of the Vanderpump Rules cast subjected her to 'public skewering.'

The scandal goes back to the season 9 finale of Bravo’s Vanderpump Rules last year, when cameras captured Madix as she discovered explicit footage of Rachel on Tom's phone 

She also claimed she was lead to believe she was 'contractually barred from speaking out about her mistreatment,' while the rest of the cast benefitted from a huge ratings boost and 'unseen levels of public recognition and professional opportunity,' while Leviss 'suffered in silence.'

Leviss admitted her moral failure and apologized for her part in the affair, but alleged she was 'a victim of the predatory and dishonest behavior of an older man, who recorded sexually explicit videos of her without her knowledge or consent.'

She claimed the videos 'were then distributed, disseminated, and discussed publicly by a scorned woman seeking vengeance, catalyzing the scandal,' forcing the former pageant queen to seek treatment at a mental health facility where she stayed for three months.

Leviss is seeking compensatory, special, general and consequential damages.

She wants Sandoval and Madix to cease distribution and destroy all copies of the alleged explicit video.

She's also asking to have her attorney fees compensated and that the court grant any other relief it sees as proper.

In May a judge has ruled that Leviss can move forward with her revenge porn lawsuit, according to Rolling Stone.

The Los Angeles County Superior Court judge found that Leviss' lawsuit adequately alleged her assumption that her intimate FaceTime conversations with Sandoval were 'contemporaneous' and 'confidential.'

Although she was aware she could be recorded, the judge gave merit to the idea that Leviss trusted Sandoval not to save the footage or make copies.

The nearly nine-year relationship between Madix and Sandoval imploded amid the scandal, and Sandoval's subsequent romance with Leviss also ended this past May

Her attorney Bryan Freedman told People in a statement, 'We are pleased with the Court's order, which recognizes that recording someone in sexually compromising ways without her consent violates California law.

'We will be moving forward aggressively to vindicate Rachel's rights,' added Freedman. 

Madix filed her own countersuit against Leviss, claiming Leviss was trying to 'punish' and 'blame Ms. Madix for the negative reaction [she] received as a result of her affair.'

Her attorneys said she learned of the couple's affair 'in the worst possible way' when she discovered the video of them 'having phone sex.'

Madix claimed she never shared 'any of the video footage she found' with anyone besides Leviss.