Ariana Madix and Katie Maloney have been named in a lawsuit by former Something About Her chef Penny Davidi.
Davidi filed court documents claiming that Madix, 39, and Maloney, 37, have not held up their initial agreement for 10 percent ownership stakes of the West Hollywood eatery.
The Vanderpump Rules stars initially enlisted Davidi to serve as the head chef of their French-inspired sandwich shop. They went their separate ways earlier this year over creative differences. According to court documents obtained by Entertainment Tonight, Davidi claimed that Madix and Maloney would retain 90 percent ownership of Something About Her and that she would get 10 percent as the chief operating officer and director of culinary.
Davidi claimed that they reached a deal in June 2023, in which she would earn $7,500 per month until January 2024 when the sum would increase to a monthly $10,000. She is now alleging that the Bravo stars “repudiated” the deal and is requesting that a judge enforce the initial contract.
Davidi also noted that she “performed substantial work, engaged in substantial activity and undertook substantial tasks” in her roles and wants to be compensated for it.
Madix and Maloney have not publicly addressed the legal battle. Davidi, meanwhile, was advised not to respond to Us Weekly’s request for comment as “everything will be addressed in court.”
The two Bravo stars opened Something About Her in May.
“We’re just gonna continue to do the best that we can and grow and make it better and better as time goes on,” Madix exclusively told Us of their business goals, joking that she hopes haters will eat their words when they try the menu offerings.
Maloney, for her part, concurred with her business partner.
“I don’t think we have to say anything,” Maloney told Us. “Everything’s going to speak for itself.”
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Maloney and Madix previously worked as a hostess and a bartender, respectively, at Lisa Vanderpump’s SUR in Los Angeles. Their then-partners, Tom Schwartz and Tom Sandoval, later teamed up with Vanderpump, 63, for their eponymous TomTom bar.
Seeing TomTom’s success inspired Maloney and Madix to start their own business.
Madix was also recently named in another lawsuit earlier this month. Us broke the news on Tuesday, July 16, that Sandoval, 42, sued Madix over obtaining access to his phone without “authorization or permission” in March 2023 to view explicit images of Rachel “Raquel” Leviss. (Madix and Sandoval split that month over his secret affair with Leviss, 29, which has since ended.)
“It is abhorrent that Tom Sandoval continues to torment Ms. Madix,” Madix’s attorney Jordan Susman said in a statement to Us. “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 well-being.”
Sandoval has since claimed in a Thursday, July 18, Instagram statement that he did not intend to file a lawsuit against Madix and plans to withdraw the motion.
