Legal Battle Continues: Ariana Madix's Lawsuit Over Revenge Porn Allegations
Ariana Madix, a former Vanderpump Rules star and current Love Island USA host, has been unsuccessful in her attempt to dismiss the invasion of privacy and revenge porn lawsuit brought against her by her former castmate Raquel Leviss and her ex-boyfriend, Tom Sandoval. The California appellate court upheld a previous ruling that found Madix's actions, as detailed in Leviss' lawsuit, were not protected speech or of public interest. The lawsuit alleges that Madix obtained and shared sexually explicit videos of Leviss that she found on Sandoval's phone without permission.
Madix admitted to accessing Sandoval's phone without his knowledge and copying the videos of Leviss while in a women's bathroom stall. She claims to have only sent snippets of the video to Leviss on the night she discovered them, intending to confront her about an alleged affair with Sandoval. The lower court ruled that Madix's actions were unlawful and did not fall under California's anti-SLAPP law, which aims to dismiss lawsuits that threaten free speech.
The lawsuit has been on hold for over two years pending Madix's appeal, with a status hearing scheduled for August 11. Leviss accused Sandoval of recording the videos without her consent and Madix of sharing them as revenge porn. Madix denies sharing the videos with anyone other than Leviss and claims that Sandoval deleted them from her phone shortly after.
Sandoval is also facing privacy and emotional distress claims in addition to an eavesdropping claim related to the initial recording. He challenged the lawsuit separately, arguing that the claims against him were vague and Leviss' conduct was open and ostentatious due to the nature of the reality TV show. The video of the FaceTime call that sparked the lawsuit exposed Sandoval and Leviss' affair, leading to increased ratings for the show.
Madix stated that she found the video on Sandoval's phone by chance and recorded it after his device fell out of his pocket while performing with his band. She accessed the phone using a code she already knew and was surprised to discover the recording of the call. Madix maintains that she only sent the videos to Leviss and did not share them with anyone else.