Court Denies Madix Appeal in Leviss Revenge Porn Case

The California Court of Appeals has denied Ariana Madix's bid to dismiss a revenge porn lawsuit brought against her by former Vanderpump Rules cast member Rachel "Raquel" Leviss, according to court documents obtained Wednesday.

The ruling means the lawsuit will move forward as scheduled, rejecting arguments from Madix's legal team that her alleged conduct was protected under free speech provisions.

Leviss, 31, filed the lawsuit against Madix, 41, and Tom Sandoval in March 2024, alleging revenge porn, eavesdropping, and invasion of privacy. The suit centers on sexually explicit videos that Madix allegedly discovered on Sandoval's phone and subsequently shared.

In a previous declaration, Madix acknowledged accessing Sandoval's phone without his knowledge or permission and copying FaceTime videos of Leviss. Madix has stated she only sent the videos to Leviss to confront her about an affair between Leviss and Sandoval, who was Madix's boyfriend at the time.

Madix's attorneys had argued that the affair between Leviss and Sandoval constituted a matter of public interest, which would shield Madix's actions under constitutional free speech protections. The appeals court disagreed with this reasoning.

The court determined that Madix "failed to meet her burden of establishing that the claims alleged against her arose from constitutionally protected activity," according to the ruling.

The legal dispute stems from events in March 2023, when Madix ended her relationship with Sandoval after discovering his affair with Leviss. The scandal, which became known as "Scandoval," dominated storylines during seasons 9 and 10 of Vanderpump Rules.

In her lawsuit filed approximately one year after the affair became public, Leviss claimed that Sandoval recorded the explicit video "illegally" without her knowledge or consent. Court documents state that the video was then distributed and discussed publicly.

The lawsuit describes Leviss as a victim of predatory behavior, noting that she checked herself into a mental health facility for three months following the public scandal. The documents assert that the situation was exploited for entertainment value while Leviss struggled with the fallout.

Madix has previously denied retaining or widely distributing the video. Speaking on costar Scheana Shay's podcast in August 2023, the Love Island host stated she did not keep the video after discovering it.

"To be very clear, I have not shown or sent that video. I don't have it. I did not hold on to it for any reason," Madix said on the podcast, according to Us Weekly. "So that video was gone before I even called her on the phone. I saw about maybe 5 seconds of that. I wasn't sitting there like opening popcorn."

Following the scandal, Leviss departed from Vanderpump Rules, while Madix and Sandoval remained on the show for one additional season. The case now proceeds to the next phase of litigation.

Representatives for both Madix and Leviss have not yet commented on the appeals court ruling.