Rachel Leviss Files Lawsuit Against Tom Sandoval and Ariana Madix for Alleged Revenge Porn Incident
Bollywoodfever, February 29: Last year, the scandal involving Scandoval was widely debated by the public.
Now, “Vanderpump Rules” star Rachel (previously known as Raquel) Leviss is bringing the infidelity issue to an official legal setting.
Leviss, 29, has initiated a lawsuit in the Los Angeles Superior Court on Thursday, where she levels accusations against fellow cast members Tom Sandoval, 40, and Ariana Madix, 38, for revenge porn, unlawful eavesdropping, breach of privacy, and deliberately causing emotional harm.
As reported by the entertainment outlet US Weekly, which accessed and reviewed the lawsuit documents, Leviss claims that Sandoval filmed a sex tape involving her without her consent.
The affair between Leviss and Sandoval, which became a major talking point during the 10th season of “Vanderpump Rules,” was exposed while Sandoval was in a relationship with Madix for nearly ten years. This affair, famously dubbed as “Scandoval” by the show’s followers, captured global attention in March 2023, leading to unprecedented viewership for the series. Central to the controversy was the alleged existence of a sexual FaceTime session between Leviss and Sandoval, which Leviss asserts was recorded by Sandoval without her agreement.
Leviss is pursuing an unspecified amount in damages and is demanding the destruction of the sex tape, insisting on a trial by jury.
Both Sandoval and Madix have not yet made any public statements regarding the lawsuit or the allegations made against them.
In her legal action, Leviss recounts how the widespread attention from the infidelity scandal led to her being “humiliated and villainized for public consumption.” She contends that she has been left as “a shell of her former self,” with both her career opportunities and her reputation severely damaged.
The lawsuit claims that as a result of the scandal, Leviss became “without exaggeration, one of the most despised women in America.”
Leviss disclosed to the court that the intense public scrutiny drove her to seek treatment at a “mental health facility” for three months following the eruption of public interest in the affair.
Despite her admissions and multiple apologies to Madix for her actions, which she acknowledges were “morally objectionable,” Leviss and her legal team argue that the narrative has overlooked crucial details.
The court documents describe Leviss as the victim of “the predatory and dishonest behavior of an older man,” who filmed sexually explicit material of her without her consent. These materials were then “distributed, disseminated, and publicly discussed by a scorned woman seeking revenge,” fueling the scandal.
Leviss also claims she was “misled” by representatives at Bravo, the network broadcasting Vanderpump Rules, into believing she could not speak out about the incident.
The lawsuit criticizes Bravo for allegedly prioritizing its commercial interests over Leviss’s wellbeing, accusing the network of denying her the chance to share her perspective or defend herself, despite her repeated requests for permission to do so.
In early 2023, Leviss issued cease-and-desist letters to several of her Vanderpump Rules castmates, demanding they refrain from discussing the intimate video, arguing it breached California’s “nonconsensual pornography” laws.
In a related development, cast member Lala Kent reportedly managed to make a significant profit by responding to Leviss’s legal notices online, which contributed to a down payment on her house. Kent’s response included the sale of merchandise with the slogan, “Send it to Darrell!”, referring to her lawyer.
Neither Bravo, NBCUniversal, Vanderpump Rules producers, nor Andy Cohen are listed as defendants in Leviss’s lawsuit. As of this report, none of these entities have made a public statement regarding the case.
Leviss has not been featured in Season 11 of Vanderpump Rules, which is currently being broadcast.
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