Rachel Leviss' Lawyers Blast Ariana Madix After 'Vanderpump Rules' Star Calls Revenge Porn Lawsuit 'Abuse of The Legal Process'
Rachel's lawyers are firing back.
April 29 2024, Published 8:57 p.m. ET
Rachel Leviss’ legal team fired back at Ariana Madix after the Vanderpump Rules star moved to dismiss her ex-co-star’s revenge porn lawsuit.
As RadarOnline.com previously reported, Leviss sued her ex-fling Tom Sandoval and Madix for revenge porn. In the suit, she claimed Sandoval secretly recorded sexually explicit FaceTime calls they had and stored them on his phone.
Sandoval slammed the suit earlier this month.
She claimed that Madix, who was in a relationship with Sandoval, uncovered their affair after finding the videos on Sandoval’s phone.
Leviss accused Madix and Sandoval of spreading the video around to third parties. She demanded unspecified damages in her lawsuit.
Sandoval said his ex filed the lawsuit to "extend her fame."
As we first reported, Sandoval recently trashed the lawsuit. His lawyers accused Leviss’ lawsuit of being a “thinly veiled attempt to extend her 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.”
Leviss’ lawyers, Bryan Freedman and Mark Geragos, blasted Sandoval. They said, “Sandoval’s response in the face of irrefutable evidence that will be presented in court is disturbing. Leveraging such claims for media attention and perpetuating victim-blaming is not just deplorable but actionable.”
- 'Vanderpump' Heading for the Dump! Show in 'Crisis' Amid Cat-Fighting Cast's Salary Demand Clashes — Which Could Kill Off Program Forever
- 'Vanderpump Rules' Stars Ariana Madix and Katie Maloney Bring Twist in Sandwich Shop Legal Battle as Bitter Chef Accuses Them of Ghosting 'Business Deal'
- Hollywood A-Listers' Craziest and Kinkiest Sex Confessions — From Angelina Jolie's Knifeplay to Lesbian Ghost Romp!
DAILY. BREAKING. CELEBRITY NEWS. ALL FREE.
Madix's career skyrocketed following her split from Sandoval.
Now, Madix filed a motion to strike in the case. According to court documents obtained by RadarOnline.com, Madix claimed to have been “devastated” after finding the video on Sandoval’s phone. She said she immediately confronted her then-boyfriend.
In her filing, Madix denied she showed or shared the FaceTime video with any third parties.
“In fact, Ms. Madix could not have shared such footage because Mr. Sandoval deleted it from her phone within minutes of Ms. Madix confronting him—a fact Ms. Madix stated in writing 33 minutes after sending the videos to [Leviss],” her reponse read.
Madix’s lawyer accused Leviss of seeking to “punish her and blame Ms. Madix for the negative reaction [Leviss] received as a result of her affair with Mr. Sandoval.”
In addition, they called the lawsuit, “an abuse of the legal process.”
Sandoval and Leviss' 2022 cheating scandal continued to rock the cast two years later.
“[Leviss] does not seek to vindicate any cognizable rights but to punish Ms. Madix, and deter others, from exercising their constitutionally protected right of free speech,” the suit said.
Now, Freedman and Geragos, Leviss' legal team, fired back. They told us, “The only thing more laughable than Ariana’s motion is her fairytale account of how she discovered the relationship from Tom’s phone. Meanwhile, we look forward to cross-examining her on her declaration, as we have irrefutable evidence that the videos were distributed.”