Television February 29, 2024
Rachel ‘Raquel’ Leviss Sues Tom Sandoval & Ariana Madix in Scandoval Aftermath
“Vanderpump Rules” star Rachel “Raquel” Leviss is taking legal action against Tom Sandoval and Ariana Madix.
On Thursday, Leviss filed a lawsuit against Sandoval and Madix, alleging revenge porn, eavesdropping, invasion of privacy, and emotional distress.
The filing comes a year after Scandoval, her cheating scandal with Sandoval, who was dating Madix at the time.
The docs, obtained by "Extra," stated that the scandal “caused mayhem in Leviss’s life, culminating in months-long in-patient treatment at a mental health facility and her departure from the show. Fomented by Bravo and Evolution in conjunction with the cast, Leviss was subjected to a public skewering with little precedent and became, without exaggeration, one of the most hated women in America.”
Her filing argued she was “misled” to believe that she was “contractually barred from speaking out about her mistreatment.”
The docs stated, “It is clear that Bravo deliberately sacrificed Leviss for the sake of its commercial interests from its refusal to allow her the opportunity to tell her side of the story and defend herself, which she repeatedly begged for permission to do.”
Bravo is not named as a defendant in the lawsuit.
Leviss called herself a “victim of the predatory and dishonest behavior of an older man,” who she claims allegedly filmed explicit videos “without her knowledge or consent.”
She claims that the videos were “distributed, disseminated, and discussed publicly by a scorned woman [Madix] seeking vengeance."
Along with seeking unspecified damages, she wants Sandoval and Madix to stop distributing the alleged videos and destroy all the copies.
The docs emphasize that Leviss “suffered in silence,” adding, “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."
Sandoval, Madix, and Bravo have not yet responded to Leviss’ filing.