'In No Way Am I Suing Ariana' — Tom Sandoval Is Dropping Lawsuit Against His Ex

If there's one thing that is certain following Season 11 of Vanderpump Rules, it's that many of the fans are very unhappy with the series. From Reddit to highly followed social media accounts, many viewers were disgusted by the attempts to villainize Ariana Madix. There was a clear attempt to create a narrative that no one was buying, and Tom Sandoval's tears were better suited for the banks of the Nile River than for garnering sympathy. This situation — while perhaps morally easy to judge — has become a legal nightmare.

After Tom lodged a lawsuit against Ariana on July 16, 2024, per legal documents obtained by Distractify, fans grew so incensed that a Change.org petition was created to have him permanently removed from the network and all of its programming. Twitter roundup accounts have shared tweets that also showcase viewer discontent. But it seems Tom's lawsuit against Ariana was a big misunderstanding and he is now having it dismissed. Here are the details.

According to court documents viewed by Distractify, Tom filed suit against Ariana on July 18, 2024, for "invasion of privacy, negligence, and unauthorized computer access." This is in reference to the incident in which Ariana discovered Tom was cheating on her with Rachel Leviss and ran off with his phone.

On July 18, 2024, two days after his lawsuit was filed, Tom announced in a lengthy post on Instagram that the lawsuit lodged against Ariana would be thrown out. Tom claims that after his lawyer, Matt Geragos, called him regarding the cross-complaint in the lawsuit, he was assured “the action was customary and strictly preventative in these types of lawsuits and urged me to agree to it.” Tom says the terms “New Lawsuit” and “Suing” were “not articulated” to him and he acknowledges that he should have “done more of my due diligence on the matter.”

His message continued, “Upon realizing what this action actually means, I have removed Matt Geragos from my legal team. In no way am I suing Ariana.” He added that the action against Ariana is being withdrawn, hoping both he and Ariana can resolve the case quickly and move on with their lives.

The legal system is not easy to navigate, especially considering all of the lawsuits brought forth by this situation. Scandoval has created a legal nightmare for those representing Ariana, Rachel, and Tom. Ariana is suing Tom for refusing to put their house on the market. Rachel is suing Tom and Ariana for eavesdropping, revenge porn, and invasion of privacy. While Tom's lawsuit would have created an even bigger problem for everyone involved, thankfully, it’s now one less issue to address.

Given the lawsuit appears to be a misunderstanding, hypothetically speaking, filing it seems like a reckless decision. California's privacy laws are stringent, and in Tom's case, the incident began when Ariana was given his phone for safekeeping after he dropped it. This situation negates any reasonable expectation of privacy, as the phone was intentionally placed in her care.

One receipt fans were quick to bring out was when Tom called Rachel a monster for suing Ariana. This clip would have removed legitimacy from his personal claims against Ariana, as he has gone from referring to her as the victim to the perpetrator, which would have made him look inconsistent.

It also doesn't help that there is over a decade's worth of footage that shows him lying in a variety of situations. It shows that he has a pattern of inconsistent behavior, which would have weakened his case pretty significantly.

Since the lawsuit has been dropped and was a misunderstanding, California's Unclean Hands Doctrine could have applied to Tom's case. There is substantial footage showing habitual evidence, which could have been damaging given his history of infidelity. The lawsuit might have been a misguided move, potentially benefiting Rachel's case instead. Tom's recording of videos without Rachel's consent violated California's two-party consent law, and such evidence could have been used against him.