Ariana Madix accuses Raquel Leviss of trying to ‘punish’ her with revenge porn lawsuit
Ariana Madix hit back at Raquel “Rachel” Leviss’ revenge porn lawsuit, accusing her ex-friend of trying to seek vengeance for Scandoval.
Per court documents obtained by Page Six, the “Vanderpump Rules” star’s lawyers claimed Leviss “seeks to punish” and “blame Ms. Madix for the negative reaction [Leviss] received as a result of her affair with” Tom Sandoval.
The documents allege that Leviss’ lawsuit is “an abuse of the legal process” and “does not seek
to vindicate any cognizable rights” but attempts to prevent people from practicing free speech. Madix’s lawyers requested Leviss’ lawsuit be “stricken” down, adding she should also “be awarded her attorneys’ fees and costs.”
Leviss’ lawyers, Mark Geragos and Bryan Freedman, released a statement to Page Six in response to Madix’s latest filing.
“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,” the statement read. “Lastly, the forensic ‘expert’ states that the video is not ’NOW’ on her phone, well after the events in question and with months of notice that her actions had put her in legal jeopardy.”
The “Rachel Goes Rogue” podcaster, 29, filed the lawsuit in the Los Angeles Superior Court against Madix, 38, and Sandoval, 40, in February, accusing them of revenge porn, intentional infliction of emotional distress, eavesdropping and invasion of privacy.
Leviss, who engaged in a months-long affair with the Tom Tom owner while he was dating Madix, argued he recorded an intimate FaceTime call between them without her consent, showing her in a “state of undress and masturbating.”
The former pageant queen then alleged the “Dancing With the Stars” alum came across the video on her then-boyfriend’s phone and screenshot them onto her own device, adding she was “terrified Madix would leak them” because Madix “hated her guts and was out for blood.”
Madix’s lawyers went on to explain she found out about the affair “in the worst possible way” when she found the sex video on the “Tom Sandoval and the Most Extras” frontman’s phone during his show in West Hollywood, Calif., on March 1, 2023.
The Bravo star was “devastated and immediately confronted” Sandoval about his affair, the filing reads. She also sent Leviss a text that read, “you’re dead to me” along with the video.
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Per the filing, Madix didn’t “share or show any of the video footage she found” because Sandoval immediately deleted them off her phone while they were discussing the scandal in an ally behind the concert venue.
In separate documents obtained by Page Six, Madix wrote, “I did not send the videos to anyone else … I only saw the video of [Leviss] masturbating in places secluded from others — alone in the bathroom stall and in the alley with Mr. Sandoval.”
“A heated argument ensued between me and Mr. Sandoval, and Mr. Sandoval forcibly grabbed my phone from my hands, causing my credit cards and driver’s license to fall to the pavement,” she continued.
“I quickly grabbed my cards off the pavement and chased after Mr. Sandoval, who had further distanced himself from the club. By the time I caught up to him, Mr. Sandoval had deleted from my phone the videos I had recorded of the Facetime video.”
Meanwhile, Sandoval responded to Leviss’ lawsuit earlier this month, slamming the filing as a “thinly veiled attempt to extend her fame and to rebrand herself as the victim instead of the other woman.”
According to documents obtained by Page Six, his lawyers alleged Leviss was attempting to portray him as “predatory” and Madix as a “scorned woman.”
The attorney also claimed Leviss’ podcast is an attempt “to further bend the narrative to her will.”
Sandoval’s lawyers also argued that Leviss “created” and “published” their recorded FaceTime session, explaining it to be a consensual exchange.
“Based on Leviss’ own allegations, Sandoval merely saved private copies of the videos that Leviss had filmed and shared with him,” the filing reads.
At the time, Leviss’ lawyers slammed Sandoval’s response to the suit, telling Page Six, “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.”
In her original suit, Leviss took full responsibility for his affair with Sandoval while he was in a 10-year relationship with Madix. However, she insisted there was “more to the story.”
The complaint reads, “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.”
Aside from seeking compensatory, special, general and consequential damages, the Bravo alum is also requesting Sandoval and Madix halt the distribution and destroy all copies of her alleged video.
