The next chapter of Scandoval has begun; Raquel Leviss has filed a lawsuit against her former co-stars – and it’s ugly!
The bombshell dropped on Thursday, February 29: Rachel “Raquel” Leviss filed a complaint against her former lover Tom Sandoval AND his ex Ariana Madix for revenge porn and eavesdropping, among other things.
In short, Raquel is claiming BOTH Tom and Ariana have played her dirty, and she’s about to fight them tooth and nail.
Raquel’s Lawsuit: Trial Date Set
According to Deadline, a judge ruled that the lawsuit filed in February 2024 by Rachel against her former Vanderpump Rules co-stars Tom Sandoval and Ariana Madix will move forward to trial, despite Tom and Ariana’s attempts to have the case thrown out.
As of now, the case is set to got to trial on November 3, 2025.
Why Is Raquel Suing Tom and Ariana After Scandoval
According to multiple sources who have see the docs, a complaint filed in the Los Angeles Superior Court confirms Raquel is suing Tom Sandoval and Ariana Madix for the following:
Revenge porn, eavesdropping, intentional infliction of emotional distress and invasion of privacy, all following the fallout from her affair with Tom.
The suit claims that there is “more to the story” than what people know and followed on the reality show, Vanderpump Rules.
“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 complaint states.
When Judge Daniel Crowley issued the trial date, he explained why he agreed the case could proceed.
“Madix’s conduct is not protected under the anti-SLAPP statute because the alleged conduct was illegal as a matter of law,” Judge Crowley said in his minute order.
The Revenge Porn In Question In Scandoval Lawsuit
If you watched Scandoval unfold, you actually know all about the sexually explicit video of Raquel and Tom being discussed.
This is the video that was the catalyst for Ariana Madix, Tom’s then girlfriend of nine years, to learn about his affair with Raquel. She accidentally saw the video on his phone, alerting her to the relationship.
In the lawsuit, Raquel alleges that Scandoval “went instantly viral and was the subject of extraordinary press coverage, even in the mainstream media.”
“‘Scandoval’ injected new life into a previously faltering series, causing its viewership to explode to unseen levels and making its cast members mega-celebrities,” the lawsuit reads. “Due to a narrative deliberately fomented by Bravo, Evolution, and the cast, Leviss became an object of public scorn and ridicule.”
“Leviss was misled by Bravo and Evolution into believing that she was contractually barred from speaking out about her mistreatment,” the lawsuit continues. “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.”
Tom “Secretly Recorded Pornographic Videos” Of Raquel
But this infamous video is apparently not the only one Tom had in his collection, much to Raquel’s dismay.
In the lawsuit, she also recounts an incident in which she alleges that, on Mar. 4, 2023, she “confronted Sandoval for secretly recording pornographic videos of her and storing them unprotected on his phone.”
The incident allegedly left Tom “rattled” and she insists he “refused to leave Leviss’s apartment in spite of her requests.”
Her recount is that she was “forced to have her sister and brother-in-law pick her up and drive her to their home.”
Ariana talked about the famous video on Bethenny Frankel’s podcast.
“I decided to be adventurous and look at the adult section on the TV, and Tom and I FaceTimed a lot, so it turned into something more of an intimate FaceTime. I expected to have privacy in that moment, so that happened.”
So much for that.
Raquel’s Reputation Destroyed
When the new season of Vanderpump Rules launched in 2024, Raquel was glaringly absent.
It was reported she would not be returning after a dispute over salary, but there’s even more to that story.
“Leviss, who was humiliated and villainized for public consumption, remains a shell of her former self, with career prospects stunted and her reputation in tatters,” the lawsuit reads, alleging that, because of what happened, she has no longer been able to find work.
She recently has been able to make opportunities for herself, starting her own podcast called “Rachel Goes Rogue” and modeling during New York Fashion Week.
Still, it’s by no means the fame she enjoyed with the show, pre-scandal.