CNN
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Former “Vanderpump Guidelines” solid member Rachel Leviss filed a lawsuit in opposition to two of the truth present’s stars, Tom Sandoval and Ariana Madix, over issues stemming from a 2023 scandal.
Filed Thursday with the Los Angeles County Superior Court docket and obtained by CNN, the criticism alleges revenge porn, invasion of privateness, eavesdropping and intentional infliction of emotional misery, and names Sandoval and Madix because the defendants.
The swimsuit claims that Leviss is the “sufferer of the predatory and dishonest habits of an older man, who recorded sexually specific movies of her with out her data or consent.”
Leviss believes, per the criticism, that Sandoval possesses a number of illicitly recorded movies that depict her “in a state of undress and engaged in intercourse acts,” and that Madix has obtained “not less than two” of the movies that she then distributed “or confirmed them to others with out Leviss’s data or consent.”
Leviss, the criticism reads, was additionally “subjected to a gag order prohibiting her from discussing Sandoval’s gross invasion of her privateness” applied by the present’s producing community Bravo and Evolution media, which barred her from publicly defending herself.
“This case arises from a scandal of epic proportions beginning in March 2023,” the criticism learn, referencing “Scandoval” – a time period broadly used to explain the seven-month secret affair between Leviss and Sandoval, who on the time was in a long-term relationship with Madix.
The affair got here to gentle final March after Madix found an intimate video of Leviss on Sandoval’s telephone. The scandal and ensuing fallout was coated on Season 10 of the Bravo actuality present and has remained a storyline on Season 11, which is at the moment airing. Leviss left “Vanderpump Guidelines” after Season 10.
On account of the closely coated scandal, Leviss has suffered “extreme emotional misery, bodily manifestations of emotional misery, nervousness, shock, embarrassment, lack of shallowness, shame, humiliation, powerlessness, sleeplessness, and lack of enjoyment of life,” the criticism reads.
Leviss is searching for unspecified compensatory and punitive damages, and requests the defendants destroy and delete the alleged movies.
CNN has reached out to representatives for Leviss, Madix and Sandoval for remark, and has additionally reached out to representatives for Bravo and the community’s father or mother firm NBCUniversal, in addition to third-party manufacturing firm Evolution Media. Bravo, NBCUniversal and Evolution Media usually are not cited as defendants within the swimsuit.
“The concept that human beings are anticipated to sacrifice their psychological and emotional well being in service of Bravo’s rankings is obscene,” Bryan Freedman, an lawyer on Leviss’ authorized group, advised CNN in an announcement. “Whereas coming ahead might be terrifying and even embarrassing, I implore folks to not endure in silence.”
Mark Geragos, one other lawyer on Leviss’ authorized group, stated in an announcement despatched to CNN that “this lawsuit is squarely about unlawful habits and people who visitors in it and allow it. Rachel has apologized for her half in an affair.”
“The regulation makes it clear that recording somebody with out their consent and distributing that unlawful recording is punishable by regulation,” the assertion reads.
The primary court docket listening to on the matter is about for July 7 in Los Angeles.