Current:Home > Scams'Vanderpump Rules' star Rachel Leviss sues Tom Sandoval and Ariana Madix for revenge porn: Reports -Secure Horizon Growth
'Vanderpump Rules' star Rachel Leviss sues Tom Sandoval and Ariana Madix for revenge porn: Reports
View
Date:2025-04-13 02:02:05
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! (21154)
Related
- Don't let hackers fool you with a 'scam
- Jenn Tran Shares Off-Camera Conversation With Devin Strader During Bachelorette Finale Commercial Break
- Bachelor Nation’s Maria Georgas Addresses Jenn Tran and Devin Strader Fallout
- Emma Roberts on the 'joy' of reading with her son and the Joan Didion book she revisits
- North Carolina trustees approve Bill Belichick’s deal ahead of introductory news conference
- Anna Delvey on 'DWTS' leaves fans, Whoopi Goldberg outraged by the convicted scam artist
- Pennsylvania voters can cast a provisional ballot if their mail ballot is rejected, court says
- Ralph Lauren draws the fashion crowd to the horsey Hamptons for a diverse show of Americana
- Justice Department, Louisville reach deal after probe prompted by Breonna Taylor killing
- New Mexico attorney general sues company behind Snapchat alleging child sexual extortion on the site
Ranking
- Whoopi Goldberg is delightfully vile as Miss Hannigan in ‘Annie’ stage return
- NFL schedule today: Everything to know about Packers vs. Eagles on Friday
- FBI received tips about online threats involving suspected Georgia shooter | The Excerpt
- What's at stake in Michigan vs. Texas: the biggest college football game of Week 2
- All That You Wanted to Know About She’s All That
- FBI searches the homes of at least three top deputies to New York City’s mayor
- Missouri judge says abortion-rights measure summary penned by GOP official is misleading
- Aryna Sabalenka overpowers Emma Navarro to advance to US Open final again
Recommendation
Meet first time Grammy nominee Charley Crockett
Linkin Park reunite 7 years after Chester Bennington’s death, with new music
Trump lawyers fight to overturn jury’s finding that he sexually abused E. Jean Carroll
Rift between Parkland massacre survivor and some families of the dead erupts in court
NFL Week 15 picks straight up and against spread: Bills, Lions put No. 1 seed hopes on line
New Mexico starts building an abortion clinic to serve neighboring states
Get a student discount for NFL Sunday Ticket on YouTube TV: Here's how to save $280 or more
Is that cereal box getting smaller? Welcome to the bewildering world of shrinkflation.