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Ariana Madix has suffered another courtroom defeat in the legal fallout from the “Scandoval” affair.
A California Court of Appeal has denied the former Vanderpump Rules star’s attempt to have Rachel “Raquel” Leviss’ lawsuit against her dismissed, meaning the case will continue toward trial.
The ruling marks a significant victory for Leviss, who first filed suit in 2024 over allegations stemming from the explosive cheating scandal that dominated headlines the previous year.
Madix’s legal team had argued that Leviss’ claims should be dismissed under California’s anti-SLAPP law, which is designed to protect constitutionally protected speech from meritless lawsuits.
Her attorneys maintained that the events surrounding Tom Sandoval’s affair with Leviss were matters of enormous public interest and that Madix’s alleged conduct fell within those protections.
The appellate court disagreed.
According to the ruling, Madix “failed to meet her burden of establishing” that the claims against her arose from protected activity, allowing Leviss’ lawsuit to proceed.
The legal dispute traces back to March 2023, when Madix discovered that longtime boyfriend Tom Sandoval had been carrying on a months-long affair with Leviss.
According to court filings, Madix accessed Sandoval’s phone and found sexually explicit FaceTime recordings involving Leviss.
Madix has acknowledged that she copied the videos and sent them to herself before forwarding them to Leviss as part of confronting her about the affair. She has denied distributing the videos publicly.
Leviss later sued both Sandoval and Madix.
Her lawsuit alleges invasion of privacy and violations of California’s revenge porn statute against Madix. Sandoval also faces claims related to allegedly recording the videos without Leviss’s knowledge or consent. Madix has denied wrongdoing throughout the litigation.
Wednesday’s ruling does not determine whether Madix is liable.
Instead, it clears the way for Leviss’ claims to continue in the trial court after Madix’s attempt to end the case early failed.
Neither Madix nor Leviss immediately commented publicly on the appellate decision, though representatives for both women were contacted by multiple outlets following the ruling.
And these days, Sandoval has a separate set of legal problems stemming from his problematic breakup with Victoria Lee Robinson.
More than three years after “Scandoval” became one of reality television’s biggest scandals, the personal drama may have faded from Bravo’s cameras, but the legal consequences continue to play out in court.
While Vanderpump Rules has since moved on with a new cast, the lawsuits stemming from the affair remain unresolved, and this latest decision ensures this closely watched case will continue.