Scandoval’s Courtroom Sequel Gets Green Light as Raquel Leviss Defeats Ariana and Tom’s Bid to Toss Revenge Porn Lawsuit
Things are heating up in the world of "Vanderpump Rules."
Things are heating up in the world of Vanderpump Rules after Raquel Leviss successfully blocked Ariana Madix and Tom Sandoval’s efforts to have a revenge porn lawsuit tossed out of court.
Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Daniel Crowley issued the order on Thursday morning and ruled Madix, 39, and Sandoval, 41, could not block Leviss’ lawsuit under the banner of free speech.
Raquel Leviss successfully blocked Ariana Madix and Tom Sandoval’s efforts to have a revenge porn lawsuit tossed out of court.
Judge Crowley determined: “Madix’s conduct is not protected under the anti-SLAPP statute because the alleged conduct was illegal as a matter of law.”
The judge’s ruling comes after Leviss, 29, discovered Madix had watched a video on Sandoval’s phone of the younger Vanderpump Rules star masturbating sometime shortly after the controversy since dubbed ‘Scandoval’ began in March 2023.
Leviss filed a revenge porn complaint in Los Angeles in February and, on Thursday, Judge Crowley ruled the case could proceed to trial in November 2025.
Judge Crowley, in a 19-page ruling, explained: “Plaintiff has conclusively demonstrated Madix’s conduct alleged in the three causes of action was illegal.
Ariana and Tom's infamous split played out on season 10 of Vanderpump Rules.
“Therefore, Defendant cannot meet her burden to make a prima facie showing that Plaintiff’s suit arises ‘from any act of [defendant] in furtherance of [defendants’] right of petition or free speech under the United States or California Constitution in connection with a public issue’ because the alleged conduct is illegal and, therefore, not protected by the First Amendment or the anti-SLAPP statute.”
Leviss’ attorney, Bryan Freedman, praised the judge’s decision in a statement to Deadline shortly after Thursday’s ruling.
Freedman said: “We are pleased at the Court’s recognition that Ms. Madix’s actions were illegal.
“She does not have a free speech right to break into her boyfriend’s phone, steal sexually compromising videos of another woman, and disseminate them to menace and terrorize her.”
Leviss filed a revenge porn complaint against Sandoval and Madix in Los Angeles in February.
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The 29-year-old reality TV star’s attorney added: “Her actions went well beyond protected speech, and her anger at Rachel provides no legal cover for lashing out in violation of multiple criminal laws.”
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Another member of Leviss’ legal team, Jason Sunshine, indicated the judge would not toss out the revenge porn lawsuit despite Madix and Sandoval’s efforts.
Sunshine said before the hearing even began on Thursday: “The court is in a position to readily conclude by virtue of the evidence, she has violated numerous criminal statutes, and therefore her conduct is not protected activity.
Judge Crowley ruled the case could proceed to trial in November 2025.
“The law suggests that anything beyond the expressly authorized dissemination of pornographic materials constitutes revenge porn.”
Sunshine concluded: “The act was intended to menace her, to terrorize her, to put her on notice that Ms. Madix knows about the affair and hates her.”
The drama since dubbed ‘Scandoval’ first exploded last year after Leviss and Sandoval’s secret affair was exposed during the tenth season of Vanderpump Rules.
Leviss chose not to appear in the hit Bravo show’s 11th season, and the 12th season of Vanderpump Rules was recently delayed as the ‘Scandoval’ drama continues to reverberate across the network.
RadarOnline.com has reached out to Leviss, Madix, and Sandoval's reps – as well as Bravo – regarding this week's revenge porn lawsuit development.
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