Rachel Leviss has filed a lawsuit against Tom Sandoval and Ariana Madix for eavesdropping, revenge porn, invasion of privacy, and emotional distress.
Leviss was a previous cast member on the show and had a secret relationship with Tom Sandoval during Season 10 of the show while he was dating fellow cast member Madix.
Both Madix and Sandoval returned to the show’s season 11 taping, but Leviss did not.
“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 women seeking vengeance, catalyzing the scandal,” the lawsuit reads.
A sexually explicit video of the two was discussed in the previous season of Vanderpump Rules as the catalyst of what was deemed “Scandoval” as Madix said she accidentally saw the video on Tom Sandoval’s phone, giving her notice about the scandal.
As the lawsuit continues, alleging that Scandoval “went instantly viral and was the subject of extraordinary press coverage, even in the mainstream media. ‘Scandoval’ injected new life into a previously faltering series, causing its viewership to explode to unseen levels and making its cast members mega-celebrities. Due to a narrative deliberately fomented by Bravo, Evolution, and the cast, Leviss became an object of public scorn and ridicule.”
The lawsuit also stated that, “Leviss was misled by Bravo and Evolution into believing that she was contractually barred from speaking out about her mistreatment. As a result, she suffered in silence as Bravo and Evolution watched viewership explode, and the rest of the cast enjoyed unseen levels of public recognition and professional opportunity.”
ADVERTISEMENT
“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,” Leviss’ filing exclaims.
Mark Geragos, a familiar face on TV and the courtroom, stated “This lawsuit is squarely about illegal behavior and those who traffic in it and enable it,” the attorney told Deadline Thursday. “Rachel has apologized for her part in an affair. That’s not a crime. Tom and Ariana are alleged here to have engaged in criminal acts. They then doubled down and used those actions to shame, bully, belittle, and intentionally try to destroy Rachel’s mental health.”
“The law makes it clear that recording someone without their consent and distributing that illegal recording is punishable by law; however, doing so while knowingly enticing them to engage in sexual acts deserves the harshest of penalties allowable under the law,” Geragos added.
