Attorneys for Tom Sandoval are requesting Rachel “Raquel” Leviss’ revenge porn lawsuit against him be dismissed or amended, according to court documents obtained by Us Weekly.
The documents, filed Monday, April 22, argue that the lawsuit “is a thinly veiled attempt to extend [Leviss’] fame and to rebrand herself as the victim” while “denigrating her former friend [Ariana Madix] as a ‘scorned woman’ and her former paramour Sandoval as ‘predatory.’”
Leviss and Sandoval’s public drama has played out on Bravo’s Vanderpump Rules since last year, stemming from an incident in which Sandoval’s ex Madix discovered explicit videos of Leviss on his phone while the two were dating.
Leviss filed the lawsuit in February 2024, accusing Sandoval, 40, and Madix, 38, of eavesdropping, revenge porn and invasion of privacy. Legal documents from Sandoval’s lawyers attempt to discredit those claims.
The documents claim that Leviss has continued to establish herself as the victim by adding to the lawsuit “irrelevant but incendiary allegations of … persecution by multiple non-parties,” including Bravo, VPR costar Scheana Shay and Andy Cohen. Leviss’ podcast, “Rachel Goes Rogue,” is also mentioned, claiming the show is meant to “further bend the narrative to her will.”
All of Leviss’ claims, according to the filing, are based on what they believe to be the false allegation that Sandoval “surreptitiously” recorded two lewd videos of Leviss.“However, these videos were created by Leviss and published by Leviss to Sandoval via a consensual exchange on Facetime,” the documents state. “Based on Leviss’ own allegations, Sandoval merely saved private copies of the videos that Leviss filmed and shared with him.”
When those videos eventually became known, Leviss alleged in her suit that Bravo and her castmates continued to benefit from the buzz they created.
“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,” her lawsuit stated.
Leviss later revealed that she spent 90 days in a mental health treatment facility amid the fallout. She alleged she “was humiliated and villainized for public consumption, [and] remains a shell of her former self, with her career prospects stunted and her reputation in tatters.”
Leviss has also said on her podcast that she can’t comment much on the lawsuit publicly, but taking legal action was not a decision she arrived at lightly.
“I took a long time to really decide if I’m going to press charges or not. And I felt like it was important to bring this up,” Leviss said. “This isn’t a criminal lawsuit. It’s just like a civil case. But my privacy was violated in a very intimate, unsuspecting way. And it is embarrassing and not something that I’m proud of at all.”
Bryan Freedman and Mark Garegos, counsel to Leviss, responded to Sandoval’s filing in a statement to Us: “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.”
Vanderpump Rules airs Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET on Bravo.
