Credit: Phillip Faraone/Getty Images, Shutterstock/Eugene Powers
Ariana Madix is not having the best week. Just days after the Vanderpump Rules star was sued by her former boyfriend, Tom Sandoval, she and co-star Katie Maloney have been met with a lawsuit from their former Something About Her chef, Penny Davidi.
After Sandoval, 42, accused her of illegally gaining access to his phone in March 2023, where she came across sexual videos of his then-mistress, Rachel “Raquel” Leviss, 29, Ariana, 39, and Katie, 37, were accused of reneging on an agreement they made with Penny — and of failing to pay her for the work she did on their sandwich shop.
In court documents obtained by TMZ on July 18, details of Penny’s filing were revealed, sharing that Ariana and Katie were accused of going back on the agreement they made with Penny when they hired her as their COO/Director of Culinary at the West Hollywood venue.
According to Penny, in June 2023, she was promised a 10% partnership for helping develop the menu at Something About Her and operate the restaurant, and she worked hard on the project in the months that followed.
Penny even filed trademarks for Ariana and Katie’s company, and she was supposed to be paid $7,500 a month until January for assisting the Pump Rules cast members ahead of the May opening of the eatery. She then claims she agreed with Ariana and Katie that her monthly income would be raised to $10,000 a month after January.
In her lawsuit against them, Penny claimed Ariana and Katie are denying the partnership, and she requested a judge uphold the agreement and allow her to be paid what she is owed.
Penny’s lawsuit comes just months after she revealed she was a “partner” in the restaurant and accused Ariana and Katie of cutting off communication with her.
Penny also publicly shaded Something About Her, saying that much of what was being offered to guests was “underwhelming.”
“They don’t know how to cross-utilize. I would not bring in five different kinds of bread for 10 sandwiches,” she stated. “I also would not put certain sandwiches on certain kinds of bread because the bread-to-meat ratio is completely off from what I’ve seen in photos and people’s posts.”
Vanderpump Rules is currently on pause ahead of its 12th season.