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Rachel “Raquel” Leviss claimed Ariana Madix and other members of the Vanderpump Rules cast were in the know about her affair with Tom Sandoval months before the news broke in the lawsuit she filed against the former couple on Thursday.
As she accused Sandoval, 41, and Ariana, 38, of revenge porn, eavesdropping, and invasion of privacy, claiming Sandoval recorded videos “without her knowledge or consent” and that Ariana “distributed” or showed to others, Raquel, 29, said her and Sandoval’s romance was “well known” to many as she described herself as a “victim” and complained that her career was ruined by “Scandoval.”
In the documents obtained by Radar Online on February 29, Raquel said that “although, purportedly secret, the affair,” which began “on or about August 10, 2022,” was, in fact, “well-known to many cast members and suspected by others” as she and Sandoval “were not particularly discrete.”
“[Raquel] is informed and believes, and on such information and belief alleges, that [Ariana] knew about it as early as the Fall of 2022,” she alleged. “In December of 2022, [Ariana] scolded [Raquel] and Sandoval for being handsy in public, admonishing them to save the story for season 11.”
According to Raquel, Pump Rules was “facing an uncertain future” amid season 10 as the show had “grown stale.” And Ariana, “in particular, was reportedly on the chopping block.”
“In the absence of a sticky new storyline, there is every reason to believe Vanderpump Rules would have been canceled,” her documents stated.
“[Ariana] was aware of these pressures as Sandoval, and both were heavily invested financially and reputationally in the show remaining on the air,” they continued. “By extension, if their relationship was already on the rocks and if Sandoval was intent on brazenly carrying out an illicit affair with another cast member, they had every incentive to leverage these salacious threads into the storyline Vanderpump Rules so desperately needed.”
In another portion of Raquel’s 19-page complaint, obtained by Page Six, the Pump Rules alum was described as a “victim” of Sandoval.
“Lost in the mix was that [Raquel] 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,” the complaint alleged.
It also stated that in addition to the NSFW video Ariana discovered on Sandoval’s phone, which sparked “Scandoval” in March 2023, Raquel believes that Sandoval may have “additional illicit videos and/or photographs” of her, and she is fearful that these clips could be “in the hands of someone who [hates] her guts and [is] out for blood.”
“[She’s] terrified [Ariana could] leak them,” the documents add.
Due to her highly publicized affair with Sandoval, the Pump Rules cast has “enjoyed unseen levels of public recognition and professional opportunity.” Meanwhile, Raquel, “who was humiliated and villainized for public consumption, remains a shell of her former self, with career prospects stunted and her reputation in tatters.”
Following the filing of Raquel’s lawsuit, her attorney, Bryan Freedman, who is also representing Brandi Glanville, 51, in her sexual harassment claims against Andy Cohen, 55, released a statement.
“The idea that human beings are expected to sacrifice their mental and emotional health in service of Bravo’s ratings is obscene. Many of their employees are suffering in silence due to brazen and calculated actions by NBC and Bravo,” he said. “Hundreds of reality TV participants have reached out to Mark Geragos and myself, and we are committed to ensuring that they have zealous advocates to confront the damage these employers have wreaked on their lives. While coming forward can be terrifying and even embarrassing, I implore people not to suffer in silence.”
Bryan’s partner, Mark Geragos, then added, “This lawsuit is squarely about illegal behavior and those who traffic in it and enable it. Rachel has apologized for her part in an affair. That’s not a crime. Tom and Ariana are alleged here to have engaged in criminal acts. They then doubled down and used those actions to shame, bully, belittle, and intentionally try to destroy Rachel’s mental health. The law makes it clear that recording someone without their consent and distributing that illegal recording is punishable by law; however, doing so while knowingly enticing them to engage in sexual acts deserves the harshest of penalties allowable under the law.”
Raquel is requesting unspecified damages.
Vanderpump Rules season 11 airs Tuesdays at 8/7c on Bravo.
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