Rachel Leviss: Everything About The Revenge Porn Lawsuit
“Vanderpump Rules” star Rachel Leviss filed a lawsuit against Tom Sandoval and Ariana Madix for recording and distributing sexual videos taken without her consent.
The defendants were former co-stars in the reality TV show but had their friendship ruined due to Leviss and Sandoval’s affair.
The lawsuit was filed on Thursday in Los Angeles, where Leviss accuses her former co-star Tom Sandoval of recording their intimate time together. These videos included them in sexual situations, and some of Leviss undressed.
Read on for details on this case!
The Story Behind The Revenge Lawsuit
Approximately one year ago. Leviss was at the center of a trending situation the internet dubbed “Scandoval”. It involved Leviss and Tom Sandoval, who were revealed to have an affair despite the latter’s relationship with Ariana Madix.
The affair only became public when Sandoval’s long-term girlfriend, Madix, went through his unlocked phone as he performed at his Tom Tom bar. Madix was given the phone for safekeeping as Sandoval was busy, and then she took the time to go through the device.
Her passive investigation revealed sexually explicit videos of Leviss on Sandoval’s device, which enraged her. She obtained the illicit videos she found and distributed them to others without Sandoval or Leviss’ consent.
Leviss Finds Out About Her Illicit Videos
According to “Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen,” Leviss was at a bar with Scheana Shay when she received a text from Madix.
The message read, “You’re dead to me,” followed by two illicit videos Madix had obtained from Sandoval’s phones. Naturally, the realization gave Leviss a wave of emotions dominated by shock and fear.
The realization that this woman has her private videos and plans to get revenge for the affair could ruin her career and even her life. So, Leviss confronted Sandoval days after the affair broke out.
She was enraged and asked why he secretly recorded pornographic videos of her and kept them unprotected on his phone. But Sandoval had nothing to say; he was rattled and refused to leave Leviss’ apartment, causing her sister and brother-in-law to pick her up and take her to their house.
Levi’s Filed Her Lawsuit
The psychological damage of having sexually explicit photos and videos of oneself online is extreme. However, the issue is even worse for celebrities adored by fans for their beauty and performance.
Unfortunately, Rachel Leviss was in this same situation as she later revealed that she checked herself into a mental health facility days later. After gaining some clarity through therapy, Leviss decided to take legal action.
Her lawsuit claims: “Lost in the mix was that 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 woman seeking vengeance, catalyzing the scandal.”
Further investigation also shows that Leviss faced a “gag order,” which prevented her from publicly defending herself from Sandoval and his girlfriend’s gross behavior. The gag order was by Bravo and Evolution Media.
Fan Reactions To The Breach Of Privacy
Once the news went viral, fans quickly expressed their rage by boycotting Schwartz & Sandy’s Lounge. Sandoval founded this restaurant and bar with his co-star and business partner, Tom Schwartz.
The negative backlash affected the restaurant greatly, forcing Sandoval to make a statement to save the establishment.
Sandoval posted on Instagram, “Hey, I fully understand and deserve your anger and disappointment towards me, but please leave Schwartz, my friends and family out of this situation,” Sandoval wrote on Saturday, March 4th. Schwartz only found out about this recently and most definitely did not condone my actions. This was a very personal thing.”
Essentially, Sandoval wants fans to concentrate their anger on him and leave the business and its employees out of the mess. He also explained on Instagram that he’s stepping away from the company and needs “some time to address everything else. Sorry for everything.”
Lisa Vanderpump Calls Leviss’ Lawsuit Ridiculous
Lisa Vanderpump, one of the “Vanderpump Rules” stars, called Leviss’ Lawsuit ridiculous. She told TMZ: “That’s ridiculous. I think if you don’t want to have somebody share your porn, then don’t send it to your best friend’s boyfriend.”
However, it’s worth mentioning that at the time of commenting, Lisa was unaware that the explicit videos were not consensual.
To many’s surprise, after being told that the videos were taken without her knowledge and distributed to everyone by Madix, Lisa responded, “Well, she didn’t share it with me! Why would she leave me out?”
Many found this comment unempathetic, especially the spokesperson for Rachel. He told DailyMail.com: “A disappointing choice for an executive on the show since victim shaming is a defense mechanism often used by abusers and coming from a person in a position of power can cause even further harm to a person’s mental health.”
Rachel Leviss’ Demands In The Lawsuit
Many legal experts may agree that Leviss has a case against Sandoval, Madix, and even Bravo and Evolution Media. However, the lawsuit doesn’t mention a specific amount Leviss wants as compensation for the damage done.
Nevertheless, the lawsuit stated that she wants compensatory and punitive damages from both Madix and Sandoval. She also wants them to delete the illicit videos from their devices and any other storage medium.
Despite the possibility of having a case against Bravo and Evolution Media, she didn’t include the companies in the suit. Her “beef” is with her past lover and his ex-girlfriend.
Conclusion
Rachel Leviss had an affair with co-star Tom Sandoval, who had a long-term girlfriend. The partner found out about his relationship through sexual videos of Leviss on his phone and distributed them as revenge.
Leviss is suing both parties for taking videos of her naked without her permission and then distributing them. The first court hearing will take place on July 7th in Los Angeles. Experts are confident Leviss will win the case, but that’s for the judge to decide.
Stay tuned with attorney Ugo Lord for more updates in the future!