Frivolous Litigation
You know what? I am tired of reporting on Thomas Ravenel‘s bizarre antics regarding the current child custody case. You know who else is tired of it? Bravo. And Uber. Kathryn Dennis. And most likely most of us.
Thomas Ravenel is full of stupid motions in his court cases and he recently included Bravo in one of them. Click that link to see all the weird allegations against Kathryn Dennis and this one for the Bravo stupidity regarding filming Southern Charm.
Scathinging Response
Bravo responded in what The Blast refers to as a scathing response:
“If Ravenel actually wants to stem the public flow of information about this custody dispute, then his recourse is to stop his own public mudslinging in the pleadings he has filed in this case, stop posting photos and videos of his children on the Internet, join Dennis’s request to seal this Court’s records, and/or seek to restrain Dennis from discussing the case.”
The network and the producers claim to have already tried to resolve this action by agreeing to not air previously unaired images of the children on future episodes of the show [Southern Charm] without Ravenel’s consent – and they have no intent to do so in the upcoming season of the show.
The filing goes on to state that it appears to Bravo that Thomas Ravenel seems to want to be the only party to the custody hearing that can discuss the case publicly despite Kathryn wanting the hearings to be sealed for the privacy of the children. Bravo is requesting that Thomas pay their legal fees.
Uber Frivolous Litigation
And then there is the subpoena Thomas Ravenel’s attorneys sent to Uber requesting 18 months of historical records of Kathryn Dennis’s Uber usage. Presumably this is expected to show that she is out at bars when she has the children. I am sure she is. Southern Charm films all over the place. Parents are also allowed to go out with friends when they have their children in the home. She can most certainly hire a babysitter. It’s not like she leaves them all alone locked in a closet if she does in fact go out.
Uber has refuse to provide those records stating they are not the proper venue to subpoena for the records as such a search would cause an undue burden on them to collect and provide. Instead, if he wants the records, he can subpoena them from Kathryn Dennis who has easy access to all of her records via her Uber app.
This makes perfect sense to me.
However, according to documents obtained by Daily Mail, it looks like a judge has granted Thomas’ request and Uber will be required to appear in person at a hearing at an unnamed time. 
Does anyone any major problems with this Order To Show Cause? Because I see several.
- The defendant is not named on the order. The defendant for this order is supposed to be Uber D/B/A Rasier, LLC. instead the defendant is listed as Bravo and Haymaker. Someone’s attorney was busy cranking out nonsense, they didn’t bother to change the information, OR Thomas Ravenel provided this document to Daily Mail and it has been doctored. Or perhaps Uber was listed as a second defendant somewhere further down the line, but the listing of the docket number where it is likely rules out that possibility.
- The date and location of the hearing that Uber is being compelled to attend is not provided.
- The judge whose signature appears to be on the Order to Show Cause is Judge Timothy H. Pogue who is a family judge in upstate South Carolina in the 12th judicial district. Was he filling in? Has he relocated? Thomas and Kathryn’s case is within the 9th Judicial District. It looks like Judge Pogue did preside over hearings in Charleston on January 31 and February 1st but there was nothing on the docket for that week pertaining to this case. Why wasn’t a hearing date and time scheduled?
And in horrendously poor judgment by Daily Mail, they failed to black out Kathryn’s cell phone number in the publication of the subpoena sent to Uber. (Exhibit A).
I am going to hope one of my many attorneys who read here email me an explanation about all of this. I have been looking at this all day and it is weird and confusing to me.
Basically, Thomas is a douchebag and his attorneys are loving all of the billable hours filing ridiculous motions. I looked to see if I could find a connection between this judge and Ravenel and as of yet I have not.
Hello from Scotland!
Help me TT…this guy? Is he surrounded by so many shady people like himself? Does he think the public think he’s a good guy?
First Post but I’ve been reading daily for a long time. Thanks for all the effort x
He delusional.
Thank you for this! And for all the detailed analysis. I do not understand how the sun shines on Thomas Ravenel. You’d think he was a Kennedy. I am not privy to what goes on in divorce cases but I can’t even call on joint things for my husband they have to his everything when I try to talk to someone even if it’s joint so how is this not a violation of her privacy? They weren’t even married! I’ve never seen every bizarro court decision go someone’s way.
TR is the devil. He needs to get over himself and move on. I hope he reads this. I hope he reads this and learns he will NEVER have anyone on his side EVER. He will NEVER turn people against Kathryn. It’s like she’s Lady Di and he’s Prince Charles only worse — he’s far from a prince and didn’t marry her. We will always love Kathryn. He’s going to have to accept the fact he lost. He needs to move on with his life. Who knew what a miserable loser he was??? I didn’t see it right away but a lot of ppl did. Man! The stress this must cause her, how awful. I hope she can get the best lawyers. He’s vile.
I don’t think he cares what the public in general think. He cares what his (to his mind) “equals” think. He’s a good old boy in South Carolina from a prominent wealthy connected family. He just wants his way & will go to any length to get it.
Hey, TT! Excellent post. I’m not experienced with South Carolina courts, but will do my best as an attorney in another Southern state to help answer your questions.
1 – Uber is not a captioned defendant, but seems to be a Respondent to a Discovery Request issued by Thomas. I tried to look up the full caption for the case but even the court records show an abbreviated list of the parties. Most courts require all parties to be named on initial pleadings (first filed), and subsequent pleadings can be abbreviated (Haymaker, et al), but this pleading has no such abbreviation.
2 – Today’s docket shows a hearing has been set for February 28, 2019. When pleadings are filed, the dates and times for subsequent hearings are left blank for the court to fill in according to availability. This would indicate that the copy provided to the press likely came from Thomas’ camp. Anyone else receiving a copy after the court would have the hearing info filled in on their copy. The Daily Mail is providing the file-stamped copy submitted by Thomas prior to the court setting the hearing date.
3 – If this court has a rotating / revolving docket, you never know which judge is going to hear which matter on any given date. In most courts across this country, revolving dockets are common for minor hearings. It is rare that one judge hears everything along a litigation path, especially in civil and family courts. As to your last question about hearing dates and times, those are usually left blank until the court clerk file stamps your pleading and fills in the hearing details (usually by hand).
If you want a copy of the docket showing the hearing schedule, just let me know and I will pop it over to you! Sorry for the lengthy response, but I hope it is helpful.
Thanks for all your hard work for this wonderful site and community!!
Excellent explanation! Thanks for the info 🙂
I cannot thank you enough Jane for dumbing this down enough for me to understand.
This man is pure evil. This is so ugly and so gross. I believe the clock is ticking Ravenals…your day is coming.
How do we find out if Kathryn has also filed for this same information and or if he has a personal driver, can those records be obtained and submitted to the court as well?
I feel so bad for Kathryn having the early childhood years of parenting being so privately and publically scarred by this custody battle and that her own personal failings that were surely fueled by (father to her children) an abuser are all now made too public. As someone said lately about Ashley, she’s a cornered rattlesnake? Same for TR.
Thanks Jane. My brain is fried today. Of course Uber is not defendant I don’t know how I got confused to that point. There are just so many sides to the fight. Kathryn V Thomas. Thomas v Katthryn, Bravo, Haymaker, Uber…. the list goes on.
I’m still not sure why Judge Hodge or whatever is presiding in the 9th district now. Is he transferred somehow? FIlling in for someone who is out sick? I just immediately found the judge to have something…odd about him.
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I think you are spot on with your first impression. Thomas is really reaching, going after taxi records. I don’t see what that proves about anything.
Where is the substance in his complaint against Kathryn?
How reasonable would it be to set a precedent where custody litigants could routinely request such info from taxi companies? Insane!!
Smells like desperation.
The man is crazy. He is seen out night after night, leaving the children with a nanny – even if he has custody that night.
Last year he allegedly slept most nights at the place he had leased for Ashley, and headed home early mornings to have breakfast with the kids.
We saw him boast and whine at Patricia’s because Ashley did not want to stay out as late as him on the town. He made the threat he would send her home. Who is he trying to kid with this?
I agree with Uber. Not their dogfight. Imagine the cost to them if every jealous ex-partner did this?
Yup. He seems to always be out. Her lawyers should get his credit card receipts. He’s really annoying.
Looks as though Daliy Mail redacted the phone numbers, not that it’s going to erase every SS that was taken at publication time. Ugh.
I could give you the psychology behind it but not the legal ease lol
Spill!
Jane thank you for your informative post!
Thomas is despicable.
I’m sorry but is that the smell of desperation? Because it’s foul.
If Thomas had not already lost it he is on the edge of being clincally insane. At the very least he is a pathological liar. The judge that made the judgement on the Uber records is most likely one of the “ole boys club” and good buddies with Thomas’ father. If he walks away from his numerous charges something major has to be done in Charleston and South Carolina. They let that J.D. off with no justice for the young women.With Thomas’ arrogance and so much time on his hands; he is coming up with groofy claims against Kathryn that he himself is quilty of. This is not going to end well. Charlestonians are very well of Ravenel’s indiscretions. I really thought J.D.
and Thomas would be cell roomies in the big house.
Good luck to Thomas. Most of Uber’s customer service is outsourced. Even drivers and customers have issues getting problems resolved. Imagine just being a revengeful drunk and I could bet getting the results you wish for are pretty slim.
And so what Kathryn goes out? Most parents have since the beginning of time.
He’s such a coked out, bloated pig. If his requests make the light of day its probably an inside favor.
I had a $10 dispute with Uber and oh my Lord…… the company is so fractured (as one would expect from a company of this nature) it was pure hell. I spoke to Uber reps all over the world and each seemed to have different powers/responsibilities/policies.
I gave up on the $10 after 2 weeks of messaging and calling.
It would be kind of creepy if Uber had some big database that keeps a record of everywhere you go. I mean even creepier than getting a ride from a random stranger in his own vehicle.
The fact that this judge thought it was somehow Thomas’ right to have this information, is absurd to me. Make Thomas bring his PI in and tell him what he wants him to know. Oh wait, he can’t do that. That is in violation of his restraining order.
Doesn’t he have a PI on her? I just remember the minor car accident that there happened to be footage of months later. Is that legal or did she not have the order then?
He can’t use anything from the PI in court because it is a violation of her protective order against him. I’d love for the judge to ask how he became aware of the accident and how it ended up on a tabloid site. I’m sure Kathryn could easily subpoena The Blast and or the site that shall not be named and force them to reveal their source.
Me too. I don’t understand joe those receipts are relevant, It’s sounds like nothing more than a fishing expedition.
I’m sure those Uber receipts will show that if Kathryn went out, she returned to the same home in which her children reside, unlike the geriatric bachelor who preferred his kids be his next door neighbors.
Exactly, TT! I don’t get it.
They are awful to deal with. I saw a news story where someone was out drinking and accidentally put in a city that they are in, but there was a city with the same name in a different state. Uber charged them a couple thousand dollars to go 15 miles, and only refunded them when it went viral.
This seems like what Simon did to Tamra. Once he was no longer on the show his kids couldn’t be on the show but it was ok while he was on camera.
Didn’t Simon do the same thing – once he was off the show the kids couldn’t be filmed?
And don’t forget Bryn Hoppy.
That’s true, Squeezy. Simon wouldn’t allow the kids to be filmed after the divorce. Their son Spencer (now 18) made a brief appearance last season. Personally, I think it’s a good thing.
It seems to me that Thomas has had years and plenty of funding to build a case against Kathryn. Has it really come down to some vague accusations, a supposed hit and run and uber records? If he has some solid stuff his PI’s have scrapped together, let’s see it.
This makes me sick. Thomas’ controlling behavior is abhorrent but the fact that a judge is allowing Kathryn’s Uber records to be subpoenaed is exactly why narcissists like Thomas get away with this disgusting behavior. It’s feeding his ego and giving him power. I hope karma kicks him in the ass and Kathryn prevails, but it seems like shitty people like him never face the consequences of their actions.
Yes to this comment. More than likely HE wants to know where she’s been and it has no importance to the case.
LOL. A Judge from nowhere taking on Uber, maybe he wants to make a name for himself. Uber will not give in to this. The Ravenal Cronies group were once big fish in a small pond. Today the pond is a lake with new rules.
BTW. you can now use a debit card with Uber. I load a debit card with a minimum amount and use it for transactions where there has been a history of unsolved problems.
That’s a really great idea about the debit card Calipatti. I don’t Uber or lift much but in places like Vegas or a trip to DC a couple years ago? Luv it!
I find accessing anyone short of a murderer’s Uber records for the day in question so invasive. An ex could find out where a new boyfriend/girlfriend lives, or the work place/friends of a domestic violence victim and carry out some act of violence. I wonder what the precedent is here. It’s basically stalking.
I would think, like in this case, a court order has to be in place. I’m surprised it was granted.
I’m just here to here 2nd everything you just said, Tamara. I couldn’t agree more – from your first paragraph to the last. What a gross mess.
I’m shocked that “Uber” might even HAVE records and hope they provide TRav’s legal team with thousands and thousands of “sticky notes”!
Pretty sure it’s legal for Kat to date, party and call for an “Uber”!
This town’s full of savages, man.
I think that he’s being a douche about it, and doing it for ALL the wrong reasons, but I wouldn’t want my kids on reality tv. Heck, it irks me to see them on there. They didn’t sign their souls away to Andy, their moms did.
Thomas has gone from being a local embarrassment to a national idiot. Hope he’s happy.
Classic narcissist behavior. I totally agree with Bravos assertion that he wants to be the only one who can publically discuss the custody case. Too many years of too many people telling him he’s the next coming has obliterated his grasp on reality. Remember when he blamed Katherine for losing the election?! Like it had nothing to do with his cocaine conviction from the last time he was in office. Right.
Tragically, this is all about money, and has nothing to do with Thomas wanting to spend time with or get custody of the kids. He just doesn’t want to have to pay Kathryn. The kids deserve so much better than this. And Thomas’ scumbag lawyer is one of the ones that gives lawyers every where a bad name. This is gamesmanship of the sleaziest kind, with zero consideration as to what is in the best interest of the kids. Makes me feel sick to my stomach. Karmas a bitch, Ravenel. You’ll get yours.
TRav: the poster boy for generations of inbreeding.
He is so incensed that Kathryn doesn’t need to play crazy damsel in distress any longer, AND has replaced him as the star of the show, that he’s come completely undone.
He’s a dangerous man.
This!!!
Wouldn’t it be so much easier to get Uber email receipts from Katheryn’s email provider?
Going after Uber is starting a war to settle a simple argument.
I used to like Thomas. He’s coming unglued.
What’s Thomas’ plan? Get a map of all Kathryn’s destinations and mark it with all the drug dealers that he knows?
Maybe he needs new drug contacts?
Thomas’ creep factor is growing exponentially! Damn, leave THE MOTHER OF HIS CHILDREN alone!!! If he cares so much about the welfare of his children, supporting Katherine should be number one on his list. At this point, he’s dancing close to harrassment…its not a good look.
On a side note, I dreamt that Thomas kidnapped me and my husband and was trying to rape my husband. I had to run him over with my car!!! 😂
If Thomas is giving me nightmares, I can only imagine what he’s doing to Kathryn’s mental state!
Guuurl! Step…away…from…the…tv! The minute I start having dreams like that, I’m walking away from bravo and never looking back! LOL
Thing is…I haven’t watched these shows at all in along time. I simply read the tea here on TT! I’m from Thomas’ little town and I’m bombarded with his image ALL THE TIME!!!
We had a good laugh, though. I told hubby that if he runs into Thomas…RUN!!!
I havent read the comments so if someone has said this already, sorry!
That is a Proposed OTSC. If the court actually does So Order it, then it will become Conformed, wherein those blank spots will be filled in with the necessary information and the court will change anything needed if necessary. If an attorney really accepted this from their paralegal and submitted it with the conflicting information…..he should really go find a new attorney. More importantly…its more typical to so order a subpoena directing the party to produce documents if they are not a party in the action, which they are not as far as this caption reads.
I’m a huge fan of Southern Charm, but the show just enabled Thomas and Shep to be full on addicts – to alcohol and sex. Imagine if they showed the women of SC unable to walk from being drunk, slurring their words, escorting a different guy each morning out of their bedroom. Meanwhile KD was viewed as someone with deep addiction issues. Shep nearly assaulted Chelsea and Whitney brushed it off both on that episode and at the reunion. That would explain the directing tone of the show towards males vs. females. Thomas raged at them every season, drunk. Yet, they would meet up with him at another party or event on the next episode. KD was treated like a leper. Landon joked about her needing shock treatment, as Thomas stood there with a black eye and a bourbon in his hand. Last season, Naomie and KD seemed to have killed off the misogyny, also with the unwitting help from Ashley exposing what a lunatic Thomas is, and also his gaslighting. Hopefully, the women lead this next season. Can’t wait to see Trashley kicked out of the finale party.