Rachel Leviss sues ‘Vanderpump Rules’ costars Tom Sandoval, Ariana Madix for revenge porn and more

By Alli Rosenbloom, CNN

(CNN) — Former “Vanderpump Rules” cast member Rachel Leviss filed a lawsuit against two of the reality show’s stars, Tom Sandoval and Ariana Madix, over matters stemming from a 2023 scandal.

Filed Thursday with the Los Angeles County Superior Court and obtained by CNN, the complaint alleges revenge porn, invasion of privacy, eavesdropping and intentional infliction of emotional distress, and names Sandoval and Madix as the defendants.

The suit claims that Leviss is the “victim of the predatory and dishonest behavior of an older man, who recorded sexually explicit videos of her without her knowledge or consent.”

Leviss believes, per the complaint, that Sandoval possesses multiple illicitly recorded videos that depict her “in a state of undress and engaged in sex acts,” and that Madix has obtained “at least two” of the videos that she then distributed “or showed them to others without Leviss’s knowledge or consent.”

Leviss, the complaint reads, was also “subjected to a gag order prohibiting her from discussing Sandoval’s gross invasion of her privacy” implemented by the show’s producing network Bravo and Evolution media, which barred her from publicly defending herself.

“This case arises from a scandal of epic proportions starting in March 2023,” the complaint read, referencing “Scandoval” – a term widely used to describe the seven-month secret affair between Leviss and Sandoval, who at the time was in a long-term relationship with Madix.

The affair came to light last March after Madix discovered an intimate video of Leviss on Sandoval’s phone. The scandal and ensuing fallout was covered on Season 10 of the Bravo reality show and has remained a storyline on Season 11, which is currently airing. Leviss left “Vanderpump Rules” after Season 10.

As a result of the heavily covered scandal, Leviss has suffered “severe emotional distress, physical manifestations of emotional distress, anxiety, shock, embarrassment, loss of self-esteem, disgrace, humiliation, powerlessness, sleeplessness, and loss of enjoyment of life,” the complaint reads.

Leviss is seeking unspecified compensatory and punitive damages, and requests the defendants destroy and delete the alleged videos.

CNN has reached out to representatives for Leviss, Madix and Sandoval for comment, and has also reached out to representatives for Bravo and the network’s parent company NBCUniversal, as well as third-party production company Evolution Media. Bravo, NBCUniversal and Evolution Media are not cited as defendants in the suit.

“The idea that human beings are expected to sacrifice their mental and emotional health in service of Bravo’s ratings is obscene,” Bryan Freedman, an attorney on Leviss’ legal team, told CNN in a statement. “While coming forward can be terrifying and even embarrassing, I implore people not to suffer in silence.”

Mark Geragos, another attorney on Leviss’ legal team, said in a statement sent to CNN that “this lawsuit is squarely about illegal behavior and those who traffic in it and enable it. Rachel has apologized for her part in an affair.”

“The law makes it clear that recording someone without their consent and distributing that illegal recording is punishable by law,” the statement reads.

The first court hearing on the matter is set for July 7 in Los Angeles.

The-CNN-Wire
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