Court Shocker: Rachel Leviss May Drag 'Vanderpump Rules' Execs into Lawsuit Against Tom Sandoval and Ariana Madix
Rachel Leviss may drag Vanderpump Rules execs into her explosive revenge porn lawsuit against Tom Sandoval and Ariana Madix.
June 28 2024, Published 6:00 p.m. ET
Rachel Leviss may drag Vanderpump Rules execs into her explosive revenge porn lawsuit against her former reality TV costars, Tom Sandoval and Ariana Madix.
RadarOnline.com obtained court documents revealing the stunning new development in the case, which stems from the infamous moment Madix discovered that Sandoval, her live-in boyfriend of nine years, had been cheating on her with Leviss.
Madix, 39, said she had no knowledge of the seven-month-long affair — publicly coined "Scandoval" — until she found an erotic video of Leviss, 29, on her boyfriend's phone in March of last year.
Insiders claimed ongoing feuds and high salary demands have threatened the show's return.
Leviss sued the current Vanderpump leads this past February, accusing Sandoval, 41, of recording FaceTime videos showing her "in a state of undress and masturbating" without her "knowledge or consent," and alleging Madix "distributed them and/or showed them to others."
This week, the former reality star informed the court that the following parties were allegedly each "involved in some manner in the events and circumstances giving rise to [her] lawsuit," and "may be added" to her complaint: NBC Universal, Bravo, and Evolution Media.
NBC Universal owns Bravo, Vanderpump's network, and Evolution Media produces the show.
Leviss accused Sandoval of recording erotic FaceTime conversations without her knowledge or consent.
The lawsuit charged Sandoval and Madix with eavesdropping, invasion of privacy, and intentional infliction of emotional distress.
As we previously reported, Madix demanded the suit be tossed earlier this month and denied sharing the video with third parties.
She also recently filed a motion to have her name stricken from the lawsuit under the anti-SLAPP statute, which protects Californians from litigation that violates their rights to free speech.
Ariana Madix discovered videos of Rachel Leviss on Tom Sandoval's phone last year.
In response, Leviss' powerhouse legal team argued that her lawsuit was not "an attack on [Madix's] right to speak freely about matters of public concern," as the defendant claimed. They also argued Madix's conduct "cannot be protected by the anti-SLAPP statute because it was illegal."
A hearing to discuss the motion is scheduled for July 11.
Sandoval has also fought back against the lawsuit, which his lawyers called "a thinly veiled attempt to extend [Leviss'] fame and to rebrand herself as the victim instead of the other woman while denigrating her former friend [Madix] as a “scorned woman” and her former paramour [Sandoval] as “predatory.”
Madix and Sandoval were together for nine years before the cheating scandal.
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In April, he requested to strike portions of the complaint that stated he "acted with oppression, fraud, and malice," and that Leviss was therefore "entitled to punitive damages."
The court, however, denied his motion "as moot" in late May.
Leviss, who appeared from seasons six to nine of Vanderpump Rules, is seeking damages and injunctive relief from her two former costars, claiming they caused her "catastrophic psychological harm."
She spent three months in a mental health facility following the cheating scandal, and chose not to return for season 11 of the show.
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