Originally appeared on E! Online
Scandoval has a new development, almost exactly one year later.
Rachel "Raquel" Leviss, who was embroiled in the center of the scandal after she and Tom Sandoval had an affair, has filed a lawsuit against Sandoval and his ex-girlfriend Ariana Madix. The Feb. 29 filing, viewed by E! News, names eavesdropping, revenge porn, invasion of privacy and intentional infliction of emotional distress as its complaints.
In part, Leviss accuses Sandoval of recording illicit videos of her without her knowledge, and Madix of distributing the content.
Get Tri-state area news and weather forecasts to your inbox. Sign up for NBC New York newsletters.
"Leviss is informed and believes, and on such information and belief alleges," the filing reads, "that the explicit videos were recorded by Sandoval without her knowledge or consent in or around February 2023. The two videos Leviss has seen depict her in a state of undress and masturbating." The filing also alleges that Leviss has "every reason to assume there are additional illicit videos and/or photographs" she has not seen.
On Madix's involvement, the document continues, "Leviss is informed and believes, and on such information and belief alleges, that Madix obtained at least two illicit videos of Leviss and distributed them and/or showed them to others without Leviss's knowledge or consent."
Vanderpump Rules: Everything That's Happened Since Season 10
Entertainment News
"At a minimum," the filing states, "Madix circulated the illicit videos to herself and Leviss."
In addition to her accusations of revenge porn, the 29-year-old also details her emotional struggles following the fallout of the scandal and amid the public lashing out against her.
"'Scandoval' injected new life into a previously faltering series," the filing reads. "Due to a narrative fomented by Bravo, Evolution [production company], and the cast, Leviss became an object of public scorn and ridicule."
Leviss also alleges in the filing that she was "misled" by Bravo and Evolution "into believing that she was contractually barred from speaking out" about the events on the show.
E! News has reached out to Bravo and Evolution Production Company—both of whom are cited in the suit but not listed as defendants—as well as reps for Sandoval and Madix for comment but has not yet heard back.
"As a result, she suffered in silence," her lawsuit continues, "as Bravo and Evolution watched their viewership explode, and the rest of the cast enjoyed unseen levels of public recognition and professional opportunity. 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."
Leviss' lawsuit comes just ahead of the one-year anniversary of Leviss and Sandoval's affair becoming public knowledge in March 2023.
(E! News, Bravo and this NBC station are all part of NBCUniversal.)
