Ariana Madix has lost her attempt to appeal a revenge porn lawsuit filed against her by her former Vanderpump Rules costar Rachel “Raquel” Leviss.
Documents from the California Court of Appeals, obtained by Us on Wednesday, August 5, indicate that Madix’s effort to dismiss Leviss’ lawsuit was unsuccessful. The case will proceed as planned.
The host of Love Island, 41, faces allegations of improperly acquiring and distributing explicit videos of Leviss, 31, which were found on her ex Tom Sandoval’s phone during his affair with their mutual friend. Madix previously admitted to secretly accessing Sandoval’s phone without his consent and copying FaceTime videos of Leviss, which she claims were only shared with Leviss to address the infidelity.
Madix’s defense argued that the affair between Leviss and Madix’s former partner was a matter of public concern, suggesting her actions were covered by free speech protections.
The court determined that Madix did not successfully demonstrate that the allegations against her resulted from constitutionally protected activities.
Us has reached out to the legal representatives of both Madix and Leviss for comments on the court’s decision.
The conflict between Madix and Leviss began in March 2023, when Madix ended her relationship with Sandoval following his widely publicized affair with Leviss. This incident, later termed “Scandoval,” became a key storyline in seasons 9 and 10 of Vanderpump Rules. Leviss eventually exited the show, while Madix and Sandoval returned for a final season.
Approximately a year later, Leviss filed a lawsuit against Madix and Sandoval, accusing them of revenge porn, eavesdropping, and invasion of privacy. According to documents obtained by Us in March 2024, Leviss alleged that Sandoval had recorded the explicit video “illegally” without her knowledge or consent.
Ariana Madix’s attorneys have responded to Rachel “Raquel” Leviss’ revenge porn lawsuit. According to court documents obtained by Us Weekly on Monday, April 29, Madix’s legal team argued that Leviss, 29, was seeking to “punish” and “blame Ms. Madix for the negative reaction [she] received as a result of her affair” with Tom Sandoval. The […]
The documents stated that Leviss was caught in a situation with a deceptive older man who recorded explicit videos of her without her consent. These videos were then allegedly shared and publicized by a woman seeking revenge, leading to the scandal. Leviss subsequently entered a mental health facility for three months, while Bravo, Evolution, and the cast capitalized on the heightened interest in the controversy.
Madix has previously insisted that she did not retain the explicit video of Leviss after finding it on Sandoval’s phone.
“To be very clear, I have not shown or sent that video. I don’t have it. I did not hold on to it for any reason,” Madix stated on costar Scheana Shay’s podcast in August 2023. “So that video was gone before I even called her on the phone. I saw about maybe 5 seconds of that. I wasn’t sitting there like opening popcorn. I know that people know about what’s in it. It’s very simple. I’m not going to get into the details but there’s not a lot of details. It’s very straightforward.”
If you know of a young person who is being exploited or is the victim of a crime, you are urged to report it to your local FBI field office by calling 1-800-CALL-FBI. Tips can also be left at http://tips.fbi.gov/
