Rachel Leviss of ‘Vanderpump Rules’ Files Lawsuit Against Tom Sandoval and Ariana Madix, Accusing Them of Revenge Porn

The former Bravo personality and key figure Rachel Leviss in “Scandoval” alleges that her ex-castmates engaged in eavesdropping, revenge porn, invasion of privacy, and intentional infliction of emotional distress.

Former “Vanderpump Rules” star Rachel Leviss, known for her prominent role in the Bravo show’s storyline involving an affair with fellow cast member Tom Sandoval, has filed a significant lawsuit on Thursday. Leviss accuses Sandoval and co-star Ariana Madix of participating in the creation and dissemination of revenge porn against her.

The clandestine relationship between Leviss and Sandoval, who was dating Madix at the time, gave rise to the “Scandoval” affair, a highly discussed storyline in reality TV last year.

As of Thursday, representatives for Sandoval and Madix could not be immediately reached for comment regarding the lawsuit.

“To be clear, Leviss has repeatedly acknowledged that her actions were morally objectionable and hurtful to Madix,” as stated in Leviss’ lawsuit filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court. The suit explains that Leviss, aged 29, has offered numerous apologies for her involvement.

According to the civil complaint, the affair resulted in unwarranted attacks on Leviss by Sandoval, aged 40, and Madix, aged 38.

The lawsuit contends that lost amid the public scrutiny was the fact that Leviss was a victim of the predatory actions of an older man. Sandoval allegedly recorded sexually explicit videos of her without her knowledge or consent, and these were then distributed by a scorned woman, catalyzing the scandal.

The affair came to light when Madix and Sandoval were together at a band performance in Los Angeles on March 1 last year, and Sandoval’s phone, containing sexually explicit videos of Leviss, fell out of his pocket. Madix found the videos upon searching the phone, leading to the exposure of the affair.

The lawsuit asserts that the video had been recorded by Sandoval without Leviss’ knowledge or consent in or around February 2023. Leviss has reason to believe there may be additional illicit videos or photographs of her that she has not seen.

Leviss alleges that Madix obtained at least two illicit videos of her and distributed them without her consent. She also believes that multiple other people may possess these videos.

On March 1, Leviss received a text message from Madix, expressing anger and containing two videos of Leviss found on Sandoval’s phone. The lawsuit details an altercation between Leviss and “Vanderpump” castmate Scheana Shay in New York City, where Shay allegedly assaulted Leviss in response to the revelation of the affair.

Leviss confronted Sandoval three days later about secretly recording explicit videos, leading to a conversation that left Sandoval “rattled.” Attorneys for Leviss, Mark Geragos and Bryan Freedman, highlighted the toll this ordeal has taken on Leviss’ mental health and emphasized that while Leviss has apologized for her part in the affair, the alleged actions of Sandoval and Madix may constitute criminal behavior. Geragos stated, “The law makes it clear that recording someone without their consent and distributing that illegal recording is punishable by law.”