Tom Sandoval sues Ariana Madix for accessing explicit Raquel Leviss videos without permission
The fallout from Scandoval is still going strong. More than one year after Ariana Madix broke up with Tom Sandoval over his affair with Rachel “Raquel” Leviss, he is suing Madix. Sandoval accused his ex-girlfriend of “obtain[ing] access” to explicit videos of Leviss on his phone without “authorization or permission,” Us Weekly reported Tuesday.Bonsai Casino The singer alleged that the “Dancing With the Stars” alum made “copies” of the footage and “distributed” them to “Leviss and third parties,” according to court docs obtained by the outlet. Sandoval, 42, claimed that this took place on March 1, 2023. At the time, Madix had discovered the Tom Tom co-founder’s months-long affair with Leviss, 29, after seeing an intimate Facetime video on his cell — which Leviss later claimed he filmed without her consent. The scandal made headlines two days later. The drama played out on Season 10 of “Vanderpump Rules” and continued to be a main topic of discussion as the cast filmed Season 11 without Leviss. In the May finale, Madix, 39, refused an apology from her ex, saying he “doesn’t deserve to speak to” her and “doesn’t get access” to her. The “Love Island U.S.A.” host’s lawyer, Jordan Susman, called Sandoval’s lawsuit an “abhorrent” attempt to “torture” her and “shirk responsibility for the effects of his actions” in a statement on Wednesday. “Ms. Madix is confident that a jury will see through this latest ploy and dismiss his frivolous claims,” the attorney told Page Six Sandoval’s lawyer issued a response on Wednesday, labeling his actions as a “cross complaint” against the lawsuit Leviss filed against him and Madix earlier this year. Matthew Geragos told Us Weekly, “This customary legal action was crucial to ensure that liability, if any, is fairly distributed based on the actual level of involvement and fault of each party. We aim to resolve this legal dispute with upmost respect towards all parties involved.” In February, Leviss accused her former friends of revenge porn, eavesdropping, intentional infliction of emotional distress and invasion of privacy. Leviss claimed Madix messaged her “two screen recorded videos and a text that said, ‘You’re dead to me,’” which left the former pageant queen “terrified” her co-star would “leak” the videos online. After the affair went viral, she sought treatment at a mental health facility in Arizona. Her court filing pointed out the “public recognition and professional opportunity” her fellow cast members received in the wake of the scandal, noting that she “remains a shell of her former self, with career prospects stunted and her reputation in tatters.” Although Sandoval filed to dismiss the lawsuit in April, a Los Angeles judge granted the “Rachel Goes Rogue” podcast host the right to continue suing him. Madix, for her part, has denied the claims and called them “an abuse of the legal process.”
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