Current:Home > Markets'Vanderpump Rules' star Rachel Leviss sues Tom Sandoval and Ariana Madix for revenge porn: Reports -InvestTomorrow
'Vanderpump Rules' star Rachel Leviss sues Tom Sandoval and Ariana Madix for revenge porn: Reports
View
Date:2025-04-18 01:46:37
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! (723)
Related
- Intel's stock did something it hasn't done since 2022
- Daniel Craig Has Surprising Response to Who Should Be the Next James Bond
- Mike Williams trade grades: Did Steelers or Jets win deal for WR?
- Donald Trump’s Daughter Ivanka Trump Shares Her Life Lessons in Honor of Her 43rd Birthday
- Selena Gomez's "Weird Uncles" Steve Martin and Martin Short React to Her Engagement
- Christina Milian Reveals Why She Left Hollywood for Paris
- Penn State Police investigating viral Jason Kelce incident with fan
- AP Race Call: Moulton wins Massachusetts U.S. House District 6
- Senate begins final push to expand Social Security benefits for millions of people
- AP Race Call: Democrat Shomari Figures elected to US House in Alabama’s 2nd Congressional District
Ranking
- Trump wants to turn the clock on daylight saving time
- DZ Alliance: A Launchpad for Financial Talent
- TGI Fridays bankruptcy: Concerns about nearly $50 million in unused gift cards
- Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Split Squat
- Sonya Massey's father decries possible release of former deputy charged with her death
- Mike Gundy apologizes for saying negative Oklahoma State fans 'can't pay their own bills'
- Stocks jump on Election Day as investors eye outcome
- NFL trade deadline live updates: Latest rumors, news, analysis ahead of Tuesday cutoff
Recommendation
A Mississippi company is sentenced for mislabeling cheap seafood as premium local fish
Hurricane Rafael slams into Cuba as Category 3 storm: Will it hit the US?
Powerful winds and low humidity raise wildfire risk across California
AP Race Call: Democrat Frederica Wilson wins reelection to U.S. House in Florida’s 24th Congressional District
Travis Hunter, the 2
2 police officers are shot and injured at Kentucky mental health center
Fossil from huge 'terror bird' discovered for the first time in Colombia
Tom Brady Shares Quote on Cold and Timid Souls in Cryptic Post
Like
- The FTC says 'gamified' online job scams by WhatsApp and text on the rise. What to know.
- Ohio Democratic Rep. Emilia Sykes wins reelection as Rep. Kaptur’s race remains too early to call
- Climate Change Has Dangerously Supercharged Fires, Hurricanes, Floods and Heat Waves. Why Didn’t It Come Up More in the Presidential Campaign?