With Vanderpump Rules slowly fading into the rearview mirror, news broke that Something About Her will be preparing for a fight. Viewers have been along for the ride every step of the way. Katie Maloney and Ariana Madix have been very open about launching their sandwich shop. In May, the sandwich shop finally opened. Along with a starstudded grand opening came a line around the block and sold-out munchies. The girls seemed to be thriving in their new domain, but there were a few issues behind the scenes.
Something About Her has been the center of drama
Katie and Ariana wanted an eatery that felt like it had been lifted right out of a fairytale. However, their Nancy Meyers dream has turned into a nightmare. Followers watched as the duo were met with red tape thanks to the city of West Hollywood and a lawsuit. In July, TMZ reported that Katie and Ariana were being sued by their former business partner, Penny Davidi Borsuk. Penny, who was introduced to the girls by Lisa Vanderpump, accused the Something About Her owners of reneging on a business agreement regarding their recently opened shop.
In the court documents, Penny alleged that Katie and Ariana failed to uphold their end of the bargain after she took the COO/Director of Culinary role. The foodie argued that she was promised a 10% partnership in the shop in June 2023 if she helped develop the Something About Her concept. According to Penny, she has the receipts and proof once saying, “We didn’t sign a contract… There’s an intent I sent them, and they’re like, ‘Okay, just email us everything you want, and we’ll run it by our attorneys. So, I have the email. I sent them everything that I wanted, which was a monthly fee, and then the percentage of the entire Something About Her brand, not of one store.”
Penny isn’t going down without a fight
All Penny wanted was a little respect (said in the voice of famed comedian Rodney Dangerfield). According to the alleged agreement between the three, Penny claimed she took on most of the work and shouldered much of the responsibility. The former chef even went as far as to claim she performed above and beyond the call of duty. Viewers often saw Penny by the girls’ side while planning the store. The documents presented by the outlet showed she also filed multiple trademarks for the sandwich shop. During Season 10, cameras showed Penny helping out with the hiring of staff and the tasting menu.
Penny claimed that she was told she would be paid $7,500 a month until January 2024. At this point, her rate would increase to $10,000 a month. Now, Penny has taken the Bravo stars to court and hopes a judge will declare that the partnership and its terms are legally binding. In May, Penny spoke with The U.S. Sun, implying Katie and Ariana stole her ideas. “The sandwiches are not my creations, but they are definitely using some ingredients in each one that I introduced them to like Boursin cheese. I can say 50% of the menu are items that I gave them, and they changed some things,” she stated.
Ariana Madix and Katie Maloney have a fight on their hands
Now, months after the initial filing, Penny is about to have her day in court. According to In Touch Weekly, on December 3, a Los Angeles judge officially scheduled the trial. The date has been set for March 16, 2026, and is expected to last up to five days. Penny once again presented documents and wrote in her filing that the trio “jointly engaged in the business of developing, creating, owning, operating, promoting … and otherwise profiting and benefiting from … a restaurant, fashion, merchandise, and lifestyle, brand, business, and property … to be known as Something About Her.”
Katie and Ariana responded to Penny’s motion. Both have denied any claims of wrongdoing, and their lawyer alleges that the ex-chef did not provide enough evidence to back up her accusations against them. Naturally, the Vanderpump Rules stars want Penny’s motion dismissed entirely.
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