Current:Home > Markets'Vanderpump Rules' star Rachel Leviss sues Tom Sandoval and Ariana Madix for revenge porn: Reports -Wealth Legacy Solutions
'Vanderpump Rules' star Rachel Leviss sues Tom Sandoval and Ariana Madix for revenge porn: Reports
View
Date:2025-04-16 17:03:17
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! (8265)
Related
- All That You Wanted to Know About She’s All That
- Timeline: Early Landmark Events in the Environmental Justice Movement
- Inside Clean Energy: Real Talk From a Utility CEO About Coal Power
- Getting a measly interest rate on your savings? Here's how to score a better deal
- San Francisco names street for Associated Press photographer who captured the iconic Iwo Jima photo
- How Barnes & Noble turned a page, expanding for the first time in years
- Heat wave sweeping across U.S. strains power grid: People weren't ready for this heat
- Dave Grohl's Daughter Violet Joins Dad Onstage at Foo Fighters' Show at Glastonbury Festival
- San Francisco names street for Associated Press photographer who captured the iconic Iwo Jima photo
- We Bet You Didn't Know These Stars Were Related
Ranking
- What do we know about the mysterious drones reported flying over New Jersey?
- Warming Trends: Cacophonous Reefs, Vertical Gardens and an Advent Calendar Filled With Tiny Climate Protesters
- Inside Clean Energy: The Right and Wrong Lessons from the Texas Crisis
- Want to Elect Climate Champions? Here’s How to Tell Who’s Really Serious About Climate Change
- 'Vanderpump Rules' star DJ James Kennedy arrested on domestic violence charges
- A U.S. federal agency is suing Exxon after 5 nooses were found at a Louisiana complex
- Kate Middleton Drops Jaws in Fiery Red Look Alongside Prince William at Royal Ascot
- Powerball jackpot hits $1 billion after no winning tickets sold for $922 million grand prize
Recommendation
Justice Department, Louisville reach deal after probe prompted by Breonna Taylor killing
A Chicago legend, whose Italian beef sandwich helped inspire 'The Bear,' has died
As Russia’s War In Ukraine Disrupts Food Production, Experts Question the Expanding Use of Cropland for Biofuels
How Taylor Swift's Cruel Summer Became the Song of the Season 4 Years After Its Release
A South Texas lawmaker’s 15
Here Are 15 LGBTQ+ Books to Read During Pride
California will cut ties with Walgreens over the company's plan to drop abortion pills
Shein lawsuit accuses fast-fashion site of RICO violations