Tom Sandoval is speaking out after filing a lawsuit against his ex, Ariana Madix. In an Instagram post on Thursday, the Vanderpump Rules star announced he was removing his action against Madix and firing the lawyer who recommended it.
“Late Tuesday afternoon, my attorney, Matt Geragos, whose advice I trusted, called me about the Cross-Complaint in the lawsuit against myself and Ariana,” Tom wrote. “He assured me that the action was customary and strictly preventative in these types of lawsuits and urged me to agree to it. The words ‘New Lawsuit’ or ‘Suing’ were not articulated to me.”
Tom continued by admitting that he “should’ve done more of my due diligence on the matter” before agreeing to it.
“Upon realizing what this action actually means, I have removed Matt Geragos from my legal team,” he wrote. “In no way am I suing Ariana. The action against Ariana brought on my behalf is being removed.”
Tom concluded, “I hold no ill will or vindictiveness toward Ariana. 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.”
ET has reached out to Geragos for comment.
The legal drama started after Tom’s affair with Rachel Leviss amid his long-term romance with Ariana.
In February, Rachel sued both Tom and Ariana, claiming that they created revenge porn, eavesdropped, participated in the intentional infliction of emotional distress and invaded her privacy.
Tom denied Rachel’s accusations and characterized the lawsuit as a bid to extend her fame and “rebrand herself as the victim.” Meanwhile, Ariana alleged that Rachel’s filing was an example of a “SLAPP” suit — a Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation — and asked that all three of the claims against her be dismissed.
Then, on July 16, Tom filed a lawsuit in which he claimed that Ariana gained access to explicit videos of him and Rachel on his cell phone without his permission.
The action was bashed by VPR‘s Katie Maloney and Scheana Shay, with the former telling Tom that he “f**king suck[s],” and the latter calling the move “cruel” and “vile.”
In a statement to ET, Ariana’s attorney, Jordan Susman, a partner at Nolan Heimann LLP, said, “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 added. “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. For Mr. Sandoval to go from begging Ms. Madix for forgiveness to blaming her for his wrongdoing speaks for itself,” the statement continued. “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. Ms. Madix is confident that a jury will see through this latest ploy and dismiss his frivolous claims.”
RELATED CONTENT: