Tom Sandoval Ditches Lawyer, Will Represent Himself in Rachel Leviss Lawsuit.
Tom Sandoval, a star of Vanderpump Rules, has informed a Los Angeles judge that he will be representing himself in court regarding Rachel Leviss’ invasion of privacy lawsuit, following his decision to part ways with his attorney.
Court documents reveal that Tom, 42, submitted a notice of substitution of attorney in the ongoing legal dispute involving Raquel, 30, and his former partner, Ariana Madix. Tom announced that his attorney, Varand Gourjian from Gourjian Law Group, will no longer be involved in the case.
Varand and his colleague Tara Karamians had been working on the matter for several months. Previously, Tom had another lawyer, Matt Geragos, collaborating with Varand and Tara. However, their professional relationship ended after Matt filed a countersuit against Ariana, 39, which he claimed he was not fully briefed about. Raquel has filed a lawsuit against both Tom and Ariana.
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Raquel and Tom had an affair while he was in a long-term relationship with Ariana, during which they lived together. Ariana discovered explicit videos of Raquel on Tom’s phone, which Raquel alleges were recorded by Tom during their FaceTime conversations without her consent. In her lawsuit, Raquel claims she believes Ariana shared those videos with others. Both Tom and Ariana have denied any wrongdoing, and the court has rejected their attempts to dismiss the case. Ariana has recently filed an appeal regarding that decision, which is currently pending.
Rachel Levis
Tom is currently without legal representation, having informed the court that he will be self-representing from this point on. He also communicated this decision to Raquel and Ariana’s legal team. Ariana stated in court that she never shared the videos with anyone. “I did not send the videos to anyone else, nor did I share, display, or show them to anyone,” she clarified. “To be clear, I only viewed the video of [Raquel] in private settings.”
In a declaration opposing Ariana’s motion to dismiss the claims against her, Raquel asserted, “It’s not just that [Ariana] found the recordings and confronted me about them. If that were the case, [Ariana] wouldn’t be included in this lawsuit. But that’s not the whole story.” She continued, “[Ariana’s] suggestion that my mental health issues were short-lived or minor is completely inaccurate.
I was in a state of severe distress due to the events outlined in the lawsuit, and I sought treatment while in a very dark and frightening mental state. My symptoms included intense emotional turmoil, physical signs of distress, anxiety, shock, embarrassment, loss of self-esteem, disgrace, humiliation, feelings of powerlessness, insomnia, nightmares, and a diminished enjoyment of life.” Tom and Ariana have recently discovered that the producers of Vanderpump Rules will be recasting for the upcoming season 12.
Tom and his friend Tom Schwartz have recently shared the news that they will be closing their bar, Schwartz & Sandy’s, after two years, in addition to the show being recast. “It is with a heavy heart that we’ve decided to close Schwartz & Sandy’s at the end of December,” Sandoval expressed in a statement. “This has not been an easy decision for my partners and me, but we have other priorities and commitments that need our attention. This business venture has been a wonderful chapter in my life, one that I will always hold dear, and I’m excited about the new opportunities that lie ahead.”
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Tom Sandoval’s decision to represent himself in his ongoing legal battle with Rachel Leviss marks a significant turn in the high-profile lawsuit. With the drama from Vanderpump Rules spilling into the courtroom, the situation continues to evolve, as Raquel’s claims of invasion of privacy and emotional distress remain at the center of the case. Meanwhile, Sandoval’s departure from his legal team and the closure of Schwartz & Sandy’s signal a shift in his personal and professional life. As Vanderpump Rules gears up for a major recast, Sandoval’s future on and off the screen remains uncertain.
Lisa Vanderpump recently revealed exciting information about the upcoming reboot of Vanderpump Rules, following Bravo’s announcement that season 12 will feature a completely new cast.
In an interview with E! News, the reality star mentioned that this cast change will introduce “a different energy” to the beloved series, which first aired in 2013 with original members Vanderpump, Kristen Doute, Katie Maloney, Tom Sandoval, Stassi Schroeder, Scheana Shay, and Jax Taylor.
The departing cast includes Maloney, Sandoval, and Shay, along with Lala Kent, Ariana Madix, Tom Schwartz, and James Kennedy. (Doute and Taylor are currently part of the spinoff series The Valley, while Schroeder is preparing to launch her own Hulu show alongside Vanderpump.)