The Big Picture
Ariana thinks Rachel is trying to blame her for the negative reaction she received from her affair.
Documents confirmed that the CIPA guidelines for eavesdropping apply to the recorded video seen by Madix.
The judge granted Leviss the right to sue both Sandoval and Madix for violation of privacy.
Ariana Madix cannot escape being cheated on by her ex-boyfriend, Tom Sandoval who slept with her best friend, Rachel Leviss. Branded “Scandoval,” the event rocked audiences on Season 10 of Vanderpump Rules and all started when Madix got hold of Sandoval’s phone and saw videos he’d recorded of himself and Leviss on FaceTime. Madix shared the video with herself and claims no one else saw them but it is enough for Leviss to sue both Sandoval for recording them without her knowledge and Madix for sharing them.
Even though Sandoval tried to get rid of the suit, filing to dismiss it because it was a “thinly veiled attempt to extend her fame and to rebrand herself as the victim instead of the other woman,” the situation has gotten worse. A Los Angeles judge ruled in Leviss’ favor. According to documents obtained by Page Six, the judge said “Any person who is injured by a CIPA [California’s Invasion of Privacy Act] violation is permitted to bring civil action against the person who committed the violation.”
Vanderpump Rules
Best known as one of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, Lisa Vanderpump opens the salacious kitchen doors of her exclusive Hollywood restaurant and lounge, SUR.
Release Date January 7, 2013
Cast Lisa Vanderpump , Katie Maloney , Scheana Shay , Tom Sandoval
Seasons 10
Ariana Thinks Rachel Is Trying To Blame Her
Image via BravoTV.
The documents went on to claim that the video of Rachel Leviss that Madix saw falls under the CIPA. “‘Communication’ as used in [CIPA] is not limited to conversations or oral communications but rather encompasses any communication, regardless of its form, where any party to the communication desires it to be confined to the parties thereto.” The judge also claimed that if the CIPA guidelines for eavesdropping connect with recording calls, it should apply here. “If the act covers eavesdropping on or recording of a telephone call, it surely covers the nonconsensual recording of the most intimate and private form of communication between two people.”
The documents that were obtained by Page Six revealed that Vanderpump Rules star Madix, who recently announced her return to Chicago on Broadway, is arguing that Leviss “seeks to punish” and “blame” her “for the negative reaction [Leviss] received as a result of her affair with” Sandoval. The judge still granted Leviss the right to sue but also pointed the spotlight on her case against Sandoval. “Sandoval penetrated [Leviss’] zone of sensory privacy surrounding in violation of social norms, based on her allegation that Sandoval ‘secretly record[ed] their private communications and … captur[ed] sexually explicit footage of [Leviss] without her knowledge or consent,’” the judge said. Leviss is still pushing back against Madix in this case, as well as Sandoval, and whether the pair will owe her anything remains to be seen.
The Lawsuit Isn’t Fair to Ariana Madix
Madix being included in Leviss’ lawsuit is where Sandoval’s statement does come into play. Leviss is dragging Madix, who she hurt, back into this battle because she believes she shared a video of her with people. Despite Madix saying it didn’t happen, the video itself has also ended up staying private. Fans of Vanderpump Rules have only heard about it because of Scandoval breaking during the finale moments of Season 10.
Leviss has since tried to workshop her image. She went to a clinic during the height of Scandoval and did not return to the show for Season 11 but she has been using her own podcast, Rachel Goes Rogue, to share her thoughts on the show and the scandal. Leviss continually bringing the situation up and bringing Madix into it is not exactly doing anything to warm her in the court of public opinion.
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Madix has stated what she needs to do about this case and it is upsetting to see Madix, yet again, being hurt because of what Sandoval and Leviss did to her. Especially after how she was treated in Season 11.
For the most part, Madix had a summer where people loved and praised her, and then she returned to Vanderpump Rules where everyone was determined to knock her down. Leviss throwing Madix into this lawsuit when it should be about Sandoval recording her without her permission shows that she just wants to continue to play the victim and not recognize that it is Madix who was hurt by Leviss’ actions.
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