Raquel Leviss has been given the green light to continue her lawsuit against ex-boyfriend Tom Sandoval and former friend Ariana Madix for alleged revenge porn. This development follows an April attempt by Sandoval to dismiss Leviss' claims, which he argued were a ploy to extend her fame and reposition herself as a victim.
However, according to court documents obtained by Page Six on Friday, a Los Angeles judge ruled that Leviss' allegations of eavesdropping and invasion of privacy hold sufficient grounds under California's Invasion of Privacy Act (CIPA). The judge noted that CIPA protects against the nonconsensual recording of private communications.
Leviss initially sued Sandoval in February, accusing him of recording their intimate FaceTime conversations without her consent and alleging that Madix distributed these recordings after discovering them on Sandoval's phone. While Madix denied these claims, labeling the lawsuit an abuse of the legal process, the judge allowed Leviss to pursue her case against Sandoval for intrusion upon seclusion.
The judge did, however, find shortcomings in Leviss' claim of intentional infliction of emotional distress, stating she failed to sufficiently allege that her emotional distress was directly caused by Sandoval's actions. The judge granted Leviss 20 days to amend her complaint with more detailed allegations.
The lawsuit stems from events that surfaced in March 2023, when news of Leviss' affair with Sandoval ended his nearly 10-year relationship with Madix and destroyed Leviss and Madix’s friendship. Leviss did not return to "Vanderpump Rules" following the scandal, which left her branded by Madix as a "f–king rat."
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