California Appeals Court Revives Rachel Leviss Revenge-Porn Suit, Setting Aug. 11 Hearing
Updated
Updated · Vulture · Aug 7
California Appeals Court Revives Rachel Leviss Revenge-Porn Suit, Setting Aug. 11 Hearing
3 articles · Updated · Vulture · Aug 7
Summary
A California appeals court ruled 2-1 that Rachel Leviss can keep pursuing revenge-porn claims against Ariana Madix and Tom Sandoval, rejecting Madix’s bid to strike the case under California’s anti-SLAPP free-speech law.
The panel said Madix failed to show her conduct was constitutionally protected activity after she copied explicit videos from Sandoval’s phone and sent two clips to Leviss during the March 2023 affair confrontation.
Madix told the court she shared the videos with no one else, and a forensic examiner said no nude photos or videos remained on her phone from March 1 to March 2, 2023; a dissenting judge argued only three people saw the tape.
Leviss alleges Sandoval secretly recorded the videos without her knowledge and says Madix’s distribution caused emotional, financial and reputational harm after the scandal erupted publicly.
An Aug. 11 trial-setting conference is scheduled in Los Angeles, pushing forward a case Leviss filed on Feb. 29, 2024 after leaving Vanderpump Rules and entering mental-health treatment.