Rachel Leviss Files Revenge Porn Lawsuit Against Tom Sandoval, Ariana Madix
“It is clear that Bravo deliberately sacrificed Leviss for the sake of its commercial interests from its refusal to allow her the opportunity to tell her side of the story and defend herself, which she repeatedly begged for permission to do,” the filing states.
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On Thursday, the former VPR cast member accused the former couple—the one whose demise she played a very public role in—of revenge porn, eavesdropping, and invasion of privacy. The first charge refers to the way Madix discovered Leviss and Sandoval’s affair: an explicit video of Leviss that was saved to Sandoval’s phone. Leviss claims the video was recorded “illegally” without her knowledge or consent during a FaceTime call, only to be seen by Madix and presumably circulated among some of her then-colleagues.
“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,” the filing states. “Leviss ultimately checked herself into a mental health facility and remained there for three months while Bravo, Evolution, and the cast milked the interest her excoriation had peaked.”
Last year, Leviss’ former attorneys reportedly sent a cease-and-desist letter to several members of the VPR ensemble on grounds that the video constituted a violation of California laws on the basis of “nonconsensual pornography.” Lala Kent confirmed as much last year when she publicly directed Leviss to her attorney, Darrell Miller (i.e. “Send it to Darrell”). Now, Leviss is being represented by Bryan Freedman and Mark Geragos, aka the same attorney behind Bethenny Frankel’s “Reality Reckoning.”
Though Bravo, NBCUniversal, nor Andy Cohen are named as defendants in the suit, they’re certainly not exempt from criticism in the suit: “It is clear that Bravo deliberately sacrificed Leviss for the sake of its commercial interests from its refusal to allow her the opportunity to tell her side of the story and defend herself, which she repeatedly begged for permission to do.”
“‘Scandoval’ captured the public’s attention in a massive way, went completely viral, and injected new life into Vanderpump Rules,” the filing continues “Formented by Bravo and Evolution in conjunction with the cast, Leviss was subjected to a public skewering with little precedent and became, without exaggeration, one of the most hated women in America.”
The filing concludes that Leviss—who is seeking unspecified damages—thought she wasn’t able to speak about the “mistreatment” when #Scandoval reached a fever pitch last year and has since caused her career and reputation to suffer greatly.
“Leviss was misled by Bravo and Evolution into believing that she was contractually barred from speaking out about her mistreatment. As a result, she suffered in silence as Bravo and Evolution watched viewership explode, and the rest of the cast enjoyed unseen levels of public recognition and professional opportunity,” the suit states. “Meanwhile, Leviss, who was humiliated and villainized for public consumption, remains a shell of her former self, with her career prospects stunted and her reputation in tatters.”
Representatives for Sandoval nor Madix did not immediately respond to Jezebel’s requests for comment.