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Credit: Brandi Benton/startraksphoto.com, MBS/MEGA
Tom Sandoval is one of the most disliked reality TV stars thanks to the scandal from Vanderpump Rules. However, this goes further than public scrutiny over his very questionable choices with Rachel Leviss, as she is suing him and Ariana Madix for distributing “revenge porn.” Now, the latest is that he wants a new judge in the case.
Fans will recall that Rachel officially filed paperwork to sue on February 29th. While she admits her behavior was also wrong, she feels that both Tom and Ariana launched harsh attacks on her, including sharing a video of a compromising FaceTime call. Specifically, Rachel claims Ariana found the recording on Tom’s phone and sent it to several other people from the cast.
Now, Radar Online has learned that Tom wants a new judge to preside over the case because he fears the current one might have prejudice against him. This request was made on April 9th by his attorney. The filing states, “The judicial officer named above [Honorable Anne Richardson], before whom the trial of, or a hearing in, this case is pending, or to whom it has been assigned, is prejudiced against the party (or his or her attorney) or the interest of the party (or his or her attorney,) so the declarant cannot, or believes that he or she cannot, have a fair and impartial trial or hearing before the judicial officer.”
It should be noted that Judge Richardson recently recused herself from a hearing and appointed another judge to preside. It’s unclear why Tom and his legal team believe Judge Richardson might hold prejudice against him. However, there must have been grounds if she appointed someone else to serve in her place.
As for Rachel’s lawsuit against Tom and Ariana, her lawyer states, “This lawsuit is squarely about illegal behavior and those who traffic in it and enable it. Rachel has apologized for her part in an affair. That’s not a crime. Tom and Ariana are alleged here to have engaged in criminal acts. They then doubled down and used those actions to shame, bully, belittle, and intentionally try to destroy Rachel’s mental health. “
He continues, “The law makes it clear that recording someone without their consent and distributing that illegal recording is punishable by law; however, doing so while knowingly enticing them to engage in sexual acts deserves the harshest of penalties allowable under the law.”
Of course, this isn’t Tom and Ariana’s only legal battle. He claims to have loaned her $90k, and they still have to figure out what’s happening with the home they share. Previously, he offered to buy her out of her half. However, it was recently revealed that he may not have even had the funds to do so.
