Rachel Leviss’ lawyers fired back at Tom Sandoval's attempt to dismiss her bombshell lawsuit accusing him of revenge porn and invasion of privacy.
According to court documents obtained by RadarOnline.com, Leviss’ powerhouse lawyers, Mark Geragos and Bryan Freedman, asked the court to deny Sandoval’s plea for certain claims to be dropped and that Leviss not be allowed to seek punitive damages in the case.
As we previously reported, Leviss sued Sandoval and his ex-girlfriend Ariana Madix. The ex-Vanderpump Rules star had an affair with Sandoval while he was in a long-term relationship with Madix.
She claimed Sandoval recorded explicit Facetime calls they had without her consent. Madix found the videos on Sandoval’s phone which led to their breakup.
In her lawsuit, Leviss claimed Sandoval and Madix shared the videos with third parties and caused her emotional distress.
Leviss sued for invasion of privacy, eavesdropping, and intentional infliction of emotional distress.
Sandoval demanded the claims be dismissed. He accused his ex of filing the suit to extend her fame.
Sandoval’s lawyers claimed the Leviss’ lawsuit was "a thinly veiled attempt to extend her fame and to rebrand herself as the victim instead of the other woman while denigrating her former friend MADIX as a “scorned woman” and her former paramour SANDOVAL as “predatory.”
Geragos and Freedman told RadarOnline.com about the allegation, “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.”
Now, Leviss’ lawyers filed an official response to Sandoval’s motion. They said their client had presented enough evidence to have the case move forward despite Sandoval’s arguments.
Her lawyers wrote, “Sandoval engaged in conduct sufficiently despicable to warrant punitive damages. Sandoval is alleged to have surreptitiously recorded sexually explicit videos of [Leviss] without her knowledge or consent, in effect turning Plaintiff into an unwilling pornstar and gravely invading her right to privacy.”
They added, “Sandoval’s tortious behavior caused Plaintiff to incur significant medical expenses for in-patient mental health treatment as well as legal fees to halt the further distribution of sexually explicit videos that Sandoval had illegally recorded of her and failed to secure. For these reasons, and as further detailed herein, Sandoval’s Motion is meritless and should be denied in its entirety.”
As we previously reported, Madix demanded the suit be tossed earlier this month. She denied sharing the video with third parties.