Tom Sandoval and Ariana Madix Accuse Raquel Leviss of Seeking to "Rebrand Herself as the Victim" in Lawsuit
Tom fired back with a countersuit against Ariana on July 16, 2024, accusing her of going through his phone without his consent.
Updated July 17 2024, 5:02 p.m. ET
In late February 2024, Rachel "Raquel" Leviss took legal action against Tom Sandoval and Ariana Madix. The former Vanderpump Rules cast member filed a lawsuit accusing the ex-lovers of eavesdropping, revenge porn, invasion of privacy, and "intentional infliction of emotional distress."
Since then, both Tom and Ariana have responded to Rachel's lawsuit, with Tom even firing back at Ariana with legal action of his own. Keep reading for the latest updates on the matter. Let's just say, it's about to get messy.
How did Tom Sandoval and Ariana Madix react to the Rachel Leviss lawsuit?
Legal documents obtained by Distractify reveal that on April 22, Tom Sandoval filed a motion to strike certain portions of Rachel's lawsuit, particularly concerning the way an explicit video was acquired.
According to the motion, "These videos were created by Leviss and published by Leviss to Sandoval via a consensual exchange on Facetime, i.e., 'their video calls.' Based on Leviss's own allegations, Sandoval merely saved private copies of the videos that Leviss had filmed and shared with him."
"Leviss's lawsuit is a thinly veiled attempt to extend her fame and to rebrand herself as the victim instead of the other woman while denigrating her former friend Madix as a 'scorned woman' and her former paramour Sandoval as 'predatory,'" the motion further stated.
Noting "deficient allegations" in the February lawsuit, Tom argued that Rachel's claims "fail and require either dismissal or amendment." He then urged the court to grant his motion against Rachel's lawsuit entirely and to dismiss her request for special compensatory damages.
Just days later, on April 26, Ariana submitted her own response using California's anti-SLAPP law to fight against Rachel's lawsuit. In legal documents obtained by Distractify, the Broadway star refuted Rachel's claims that Ariana had acquired and spread at least two sexually explicit videos of Rachel without her knowledge or consent.
To provide context, Rachel alleged in her February lawsuit that the Dancing with the Stars alum told the Vanderpump Rules cast and production team about the videos.
"I did not send the videos to anyone else. Nor did I share, display, or show the videos to anyone else," Ariana stated, as per the legal documents. "To be clear, I only saw the video of Plaintiff masturbating in places secluded from others."
Ariana explained in her filing that she was in a locked bathroom stall when she stumbled upon explicit FaceTime videos of Rachel on Tom's phone. She recounted, "I hurriedly took out my own phone and made two recordings of the FaceTime video."
Additionally, Ariana recalled confronting Tom later about the videos in an alley near the West Hollywood venue where his cover band was performing, leading to a heated argument. Tom then "forcibly grabbed" Ariana's phone and deleted the videos. However, before he deleted the videos, Ariana shared them with Rachel, along with a text message saying, "You're dead to me."
The declaration added that Ariana had informed her friends and family about Tom's affair, and even included screenshots of text conversations between Ariana and Rachel, as well as between Ariana and a friend discussing the affair.
Attorney Margo Arnold and Dr. Joseph Greenfield, vice president and chief forensic examiner at the digital forensics firm Maryman, also submitted declarations in support of Ariana's motion.
Dr. Greenfield's declaration highlighted the results of the forensic analysis, affirming that no nude photos or videos were found to have been sent by Ariana during the specific period (March 1–2, 2023). He also affirmed his readiness to provide testimony if necessary.
Meanwhile, Margo Arnold's declaration emphasized Rachel's own confessions aired on her podcast, Rachel Goes Rogue, where Rachel accepted full responsibility for the events involving herself, Tom, and Ariana. Arnold also expressed her willingness to testify as a witness if required.
Tom Sandoval is countersuing Ariana Madix for going through his phone.
According to court documents reviewed by Distractify, Tom filed a counterclaim against Ariana on July 16. 2024, alleging that she accessed his phone without permission, resulting in her discovering explicit videos of Rachel. Tom's lawsuit accuses Ariana of viewing and possibly distributing "images, information, data, videos, and/or communications ("DATA") including, but not limited to, Facetime videos between Leviss and Sandoval," without his consent.
Tom is seeking punitive damages from Ariana and requesting that she and anyone associated with her are prohibited from publishing the content taken from his phone. Additionally, he deleted his Instagram following the court filing.
