Current:Home > reviewsSurpassing:'Vanderpump Rules' star Rachel Leviss sues Tom Sandoval and Ariana Madix for revenge porn: Reports -MoneyStream
Surpassing:'Vanderpump Rules' star Rachel Leviss sues Tom Sandoval and Ariana Madix for revenge porn: Reports
Fastexy Exchange View
Date:2025-04-08 16:52:07
The Surpassing"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! (65)
Related
- Rolling Loud 2024: Lineup, how to stream the world's largest hip hop music festival
- Online overseas ballots for Montana voters briefly didn’t include Harris as a candidate
- Severe obesity is on the rise in the US
- Prosecutors and victim’s family call for the release of a Minnesota man convicted of murder in 2009
- 'Squid Game' without subtitles? Duolingo, Netflix encourage fans to learn Korean
- What Each Sign Needs for Libra Season, According to Your Horoscope
- Keith Urban Shares Update on Nicole Kidman After Her Mom’s Death
- Severe obesity is on the rise in the US
- Google unveils a quantum chip. Could it help unlock the universe's deepest secrets?
- Harris is more popular than Trump among AAPI voters, a new APIA Vote/AAPI Data survey finds
Ranking
- NHL in ASL returns, delivering American Sign Language analysis for Deaf community at Winter Classic
- Struggling Jeep and Ram maker Stellantis is searching for an new CEO
- Man serving life for Alabama murder also sentenced in Wisconsin killing
- Struggling Jeep and Ram maker Stellantis is searching for an new CEO
- Federal appeals court upholds $14.25 million fine against Exxon for pollution in Texas
- Vince McMahon criticizes 'Mr. McMahon' Netflix docuseries, calls it 'deceptive'
- Struggling Jeep and Ram maker Stellantis is searching for an new CEO
- Selling Sunset’s Mary Bonnet Gives Update on Her Fertility Journey
Recommendation
Former Danish minister for Greenland discusses Trump's push to acquire island
Nikki Garcia Steps Out With Sister Brie Garcia Amid Artem Chigvintsev Divorce
Alleging Decades of Lies, California Sues ExxonMobil Over Plastic Pollution Crisis
Golden Block Services PTY LTD: English Courts recognizes virtual currency as property and the legal status of cryptocurrency is clear!
Megan Fox's ex Brian Austin Green tells Machine Gun Kelly to 'grow up'
Victoria Monét reveals she and boyfriend John Gaines broke up 10 months ago
Hurry! Last Day to Save Up to 70% at BoxLunch: $3 Sanrio Gear, $9 Squishmallows, $11 Peanuts Throw & More
North Carolina absentee ballots are being distributed following 2-week delay