Rachel Leviss sues former fellow Vanderpump Rules stars for revenge porn
Former "Vanderpump Rules" cast member star Rachel Leviss, who once had an affair with fellow star Tom Sandoval on the Bravo show, Thursday sued him and his former girlfriend, Ariana Madix, alleging they produced and distributed revenge porn involving the plaintiff.
Leviss' Los Angeles Superior Court lawsuit also alleges eavesdropping, invasion of privacy and intentional infliction of emotional distress. She seeks unspecified compensatory and punitive damages as was as a court order prohibiting further distribution of the images.
A representative for Madix, 38, -- also a former "VR" cast member -- and Sandoval, 40, could not be immediately reached.
"To be clear, Leviss has repeatedly acknowledged that her actions were morally objectionable and hurtful to Madix," the suit states. "Lost in the mix was that Leviss was a victim of the predatory and dishonest behavior of an older man who recorded sexually explicit videos of her without her knowledge or consent, which were then distributed, disseminated and discussed publicly by a scorned woman seeking vengeance, catalyzing the scandal."
To make matters worse, Leviss was misled by Bravo and show producer Evolution Media into believing that she was contractually barred from speaking out about her mistreatment, the suit states.
"As a result, she suffered in silence as Bravo and Evolution watched viewership explode and the rest of the cast enjoyed unseen levels of public recognition and professional opportunity," according to the suit. "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."
Leviss ultimately checked herself into a mental health facility and remained there for three months while Bravo, Evolution and the cast "milked the interest her excoriation had peaked," the suit states.
Bravo and Evolution are not defendants in the suit.
The 29-year-old Leviss, who was "humiliated and villainized for public consumption," is a shell of her former self and both her career prospects and reputation have been damaged, the suit alleges.
