Rachel Leviss' legal team is pushing back against Tom Sandoval's recent attempts to dismiss parts of her revenge porn lawsuit.
In a significant development in the ongoing legal battle, Tom Sandoval is under fire as Rachel Leviss' legal team pushes back against his recent attempts to dismiss parts of her revenge porn lawsuit against him and his ex, Ariana Madix.
According to legal documents obtained by ET, Leviss' attorneys have formally requested the court to reject Sandoval's plea to dismiss several of his ex's claims in the lawsuit. They are also opposing his bid to prevent Leviss from seeking punitive damages. The lawyers argue that the evidence they plan to present is compelling and that Sandoval's actions warrant serious legal repercussions.
"Sandoval’s response in the face of irrefutable evidence that will be presented in court is disturbing. Leveraging such claims for media attention and perpetuating victim-blaming is not just deplorable but actionable," Leviss' lawyers, Mark Geragos and Bryan Freedman, stated.
"Sandoval engaged in conduct sufficiently despicable to warrant punitive damages," the statement continued. "Sandoval is alleged to have surreptitiously recorded sexually explicit videos of [Leviss] without her knowledge or consent, in effect turning Plaintiff into an unwilling porn star and gravely invading her right to privacy."
Leviss' lawyers further asserted that Sandoval’s "torturous behavior" led Leviss to incur substantial medical expenses due to her need for mental health treatment at an inpatient facility in Arizona during the aftermath of Scandoval, a term used to describe when Sandoval cheated on Ariana Madix with Leviss. They also claimed that Sandoval’s actions resulted in significant legal fees for Leviss, as she had to take legal measures to "halt the further distribution" of the videos Sandoval allegedly recorded without her consent and failed to protect.
Madix is said to have discovered the alleged recordings on Sandoval’s phone, a revelation that led to their highly publicized breakup. Sandoval and Madix began dating in 2013, but they called it quits back in March 2023, which is around the same time news broke of Sandoval's months-long affair with Leviss.
Madix herself is entangled in the legal proceedings, as Leviss has included her in the lawsuit. Madix has filed for dismissal, asserting that she did not distribute the explicit videos. Madix's lawyers claim that she recorded a new video of Sandoval’s recording and subsequently sent it to Leviss before Sandoval deleted it from her device, allegedly making further distribution impossible.
Leviss' lawyers also reacted to Madix's legal filing in a statement to ET, calling her motion and recollection of the events "laughable."
"The only thing more laughable than Ariana's motion is her fairytale account of how she discovered the relationship from Tom's phone. Meanwhile, we look forward to cross examining her on her declaration, as we have irrefutable evidence that the videos were distributed," they told ET. "Lastly, the forensic 'expert' states that the video is not 'NOW' on her phone, well after the events in question and with months of notice that her actions had put her in legal jeopardy."
The court has yet to rule on Madix's motion to strike. The next court date is scheduled for July 11.
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