Current:Home > News'Vanderpump Rules' star Rachel Leviss sues Tom Sandoval and Ariana Madix for revenge porn: Reports -Finovate
'Vanderpump Rules' star Rachel Leviss sues Tom Sandoval and Ariana Madix for revenge porn: Reports
View
Date:2025-04-13 23:31:08
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! (486)
Related
- Could Bill Belichick, Robert Kraft reunite? Maybe in Pro Football Hall of Fame's 2026 class
- Because of Wisconsin's abortion ban, one mother gave up trying for another child
- Meet Tiffany Chen: Everything We Know About Robert De Niro's Girlfriend
- Trump arrives in Miami for Tuesday's arraignment on federal charges
- Federal appeals court upholds $14.25 million fine against Exxon for pollution in Texas
- Demi Lovato Recalls Feeling So Relieved After Receiving Bipolar Diagnosis
- Video shows 10-foot crocodile pulled from homeowner's pool in Florida
- People addicted to opioids rarely get life-saving medications. That may change.
- Intellectuals vs. The Internet
- Supreme Court won't review North Carolina's decision to reject license plates with Confederate flag
Ranking
- Head of the Federal Aviation Administration to resign, allowing Trump to pick his successor
- When COVID closed India, these women opened their hearts — and wallets
- Real Housewives of Beverly Hills' Kathy Hilton Shares Hunky Dory Mother’s Day Gifts Starting at $5
- Lisa Rinna Reacts to Andy Cohen’s Claims About Her Real Housewives Exit
- Can Bill Belichick turn North Carolina into a winner? At 72, he's chasing one last high
- Today’s Climate: August 24, 2010
- 4 shot, 2 critically injured, in the midst of funeral procession near Chicago
- Is lecanemab the Alzheimer's drug that will finally make a difference?
Recommendation
Nearly 400 USAID contract employees laid off in wake of Trump's 'stop work' order
Fewer abortions, more vasectomies: Why the procedure may be getting more popular
Today’s Climate: September 3, 2010
It's not too late to get a COVID booster — especially for older adults
How to watch new prequel series 'Dexter: Original Sin': Premiere date, cast, streaming
EPA Won’t Investigate Scientist Accused of Underestimating Methane Leaks
是奥密克戎变异了,还是专家变异了?:中国放弃清零,困惑与假消息蔓延
Reena Evers-Everette pays tribute to her mother, Myrlie Evers, in deeply personal letter