Current:Home > Stocks'Vanderpump Rules' star Rachel Leviss sues Tom Sandoval and Ariana Madix for revenge porn: Reports -FundConnect
'Vanderpump Rules' star Rachel Leviss sues Tom Sandoval and Ariana Madix for revenge porn: Reports
View
Date:2025-04-15 16:47:51
The "Scandoval" drama is headed to a courtroom.
In the wake of the "Vanderpump Rules" cheating scandal, Rachel "Raquel" Leviss filed a lawsuit against both Tom Sandoval and Ariana Madix in Los Angeles on Thursday, alleging revenge porn, invasion of privacy and eavesdropping, according to Deadline and Variety.
In 2023, the Bravo reality show documented Madix discovering that Sandoval, 40, was cheating on her with their co-star, Leviss, 29, after she found a video on his phone that revealed the affair. In the show, Madix, 38, described discovering a screen recording of Sandoval and Leviss on FaceTime.
The complaint says there "is more to the story," though, alleging Leviss was "a victim of the predatory and dishonest behavior of an older man, who recorded sexually explicit videos of her without her knowledge or consent, which were then distributed, disseminated, and discussed publicly by a scorned woman seeking vengeance, catalyzing the scandal."
USA TODAY has reached out to representatives for Leviss, Sandoval, Madix and Bravo for comment.
Leviss "became an object of public scorn and ridicule," culminating in her "months-long in-patient treatment at a mental health facility," because of a narrative that was "deliberately fomented by Bravo" and Evolution Media, the production company behind "Vanderpump Rules," the lawsuit argues.
It goes on to claim that Leviss was misled into "believing that she was contractually barred from speaking out about her mistreatment." Bravo refused to allow her an "opportunity to tell her side of the story and defend herself, which she repeatedly begged for permission to do," the suit alleges.
'Vanderpump Rules' cheating scandal:What Tom Sandoval, Raquel Leviss and Ariana Madix have said
"Meanwhile, Leviss, who was humiliated and villainized for public consumption, remains a shell of her former self, with her career prospects stunted and her reputation in tatters," it states.
"Vanderpump Rules" returned for Season 11 in January, with Leviss no longer a part of the cast. She also did not appear at the annual BravoCon convention in November.
Leviss previously alleged on Bethenny Frankel's "Just B" podcast last year that she didn't know she was being recorded when she was on FaceTime with Sandoval. "I decided to be adventurous and look at the adult section on the TV, and Tom and I FaceTime a lot, so it turned into more of an intimate FaceTime," she said. "I expected to have privacy in that moment."
When Madix subsequently messaged her "two screen-recorded videos and a text that said, 'You're dead to me,'" this is "how I found out that I had been recorded without my consent," Leviss said.
The lawsuit comes a week after Sandoval spoke out about the scandal in a lengthy New York Times Magazine profile, in which he raised eyebrows for comparing it to "the O.J. Simpson thing and George Floyd." He later apologized, saying he was "incredibly sorry and embarrassed" for the comments.
Tom Sandovalslammed by 'Vanderpump Rules' co-stars for posing with captive tiger
Sandoval faced significant backlash when his cheating was revealed, and the New York Times profile suggested he may be the "most hated man in America." In the interview, he maintained he did what he did "because I was in an unhappy place in my life," and he "got caught up in my emotions and fully fell in love."
Sandoval also said it was "kind of cool and crazy" that the Bravo show received so much attention for the scandal, "even though it's negative and at my expense."
Contributing: Edward Segarra
veryGood! (716)
Related
- All That You Wanted to Know About She’s All That
- Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner's daughter Violet urges Los Angeles officials to oppose mask bans, says she developed post-viral condition
- Dancing With the Stars' Brooke Burke Details Really Disappointing Exit as Co-Host
- A stegosaurus nicknamed Apex will be auctioned in New York. Its remains show signs of arthritis
- The FBI should have done more to collect intelligence before the Capitol riot, watchdog finds
- 3 people fatally shot in California home. A person of interest is in custody, police say
- Stock market today: Asian shares zoom higher, with Nikkei over 42,000 after Wall St sets new records
- Lola Consuelos Shares Rare PDA Photos With Boyfriend Cassius Kidston
- Macy's says employee who allegedly hid $150 million in expenses had no major 'impact'
- In the South, Sea Level Rise Accelerates at Some of the Most Extreme Rates on Earth
Ranking
- Former Syrian official arrested in California who oversaw prison charged with torture
- 40 Haunting Secrets About The Shining: Blood in the Gutters, 127 Takes and the Twins Then and Now
- A stegosaurus nicknamed Apex will be auctioned in New York. Its remains show signs of arthritis
- Cillian Miller's Journey in Investment and Business
- This was the average Social Security benefit in 2004, and here's what it is now
- 'SpongeBob' turns 25: We celebrate his birthday with a dive into Bikini Bottom
- Alexa Chung Joins Joe Alwyn for Wimbledon Outing in London
- Ocasio-Cortez introduces impeachment articles against Supreme Court's Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito
Recommendation
Nearly half of US teens are online ‘constantly,’ Pew report finds
Alexandra Daddario is 'finally embracing' her pregnancy with husband Andrew Form
Stock market today: Asian shares zoom higher, with Nikkei over 42,000 after Wall St sets new records
Kris Jenner Undergoes Hysterectomy After Ovary Tumor Diagnosis
EU countries double down on a halt to Syrian asylum claims but will not yet send people back
Biden administration goes bigger on funding apprenticeships, hoping to draw contrast with GOP
Shelley Duvall, star of ‘The Shining,’ ‘Nashville,’ dies at 75
Get an Extra 60% Off J.Crew Sale Styles, 50% Off Sur La Table, 20% Off Paula's Choice Exfoliants & More