The post-Scandoval mudslinging continues. 

Nearly two months after former Vanderpump Rules star Rachel Leviss filed a lawsuit against Tom Sandoval and Ariana Madix, Sandoval is accusing his former mistress of only doing so as an attempt to keep herself in the spotlight.

According to Page Six, Sandoval recently responded to Rachel’s lawsuit, calling it a “thinly veiled attempt to extend her fame and to rebrand herself as the victim instead of the other woman.” 

As The Ashley previously told you, Rachel filed a lawsuit in February against Sandoval and her former co-star/friend Ariana (along with a bevy of John and Jane Does) over claims of revenge p0rn, invasion of privacy, eavesdropping and more. (Sandoval is named in the suit for claims of eavesdropping; Ariana is named for claims of revenge p0rn; and both exes are named for claims of invasion of privacy and intentional infliction of emotional distress.) 

In her lawsuit, Rachel cites the alleged NSFW FaceTime videos involving her and Sandoval, which– as ‘Vanderpump Rules’ fans may remember– were reportedly discovered on Sandoval’s phone in March 2023 by his then-girlfriend Ariana, ultimately exposing Sandoval and Rachel’s months-long affair. 

Rachel has maintained since 2023 that the explicit videos were recorded by Sandoval without her knowledge or consent. Her initial claims resulted in multiple individuals–- including some current ‘Vanderpump Rules’ cast members–- receiving cease-and-desist letters from Rachel’s lawyers last spring, citing California’s law regarding “nonconsensual p0rnography.” 

Sandoval’s attorney state in his response to her lawsuit that Rachel did know that she was making these videos for Sandoval when she sent them.

“These videos were created by Leviss and published by Leviss to Sandoval via a consensual exchange on Facetime, i.e., ‘their video calls,'” Sandoval’s lawyer states in the court documents. 

“Based on Leviss’ own allegations, Sandoval merely saved private copies of the videos that Leviss had filmed and shared with him,” the documents state.

When speaking to Page Six, Sandoval’s lawyers had a lot to say about Rachel’s claims.

“Sandoval’s response in the face of irrefutable evidence that will be presented in court is disturbing,” the attorneys said in a statement to the site. “Leveraging such claims for media attention and perpetuating victim-blaming is not just deplorable but actionable.”

Sandoval is asking that Rachel’s lawsuit against him be dismissed or amended, while Rachel is seeking compensatory, special, general and consequential damages, as well as requesting that Ariana and Sandoval “cease distribution and destroy all copies made of the alleged explicit video.” 

Despite Sandoval and Ariana remaining at odds on the current season of ‘Vanderpump Rules,’ Sandoval’s attorney even accused Rachel in recent court documents of trying to paint Ariana as a “scorned woman.” His attorney also claimed that the lawsuit is an attempt to paint Sandoval as “predatory.” 

(As The Ashley previously reported, Rachel wrote in her lawsuit that she “was a victim of the predatory and dishonest behavior of an older man, who recorded sexually explicit videos of her without her knowledge or consent, which were then distributed, disseminated and discussed publicly by a scorned woman seeking vengeance, catalyzing the scandal.”)

In his response to the lawsuit filed in court, Sandoval accuses Rachel of using her “provocative podcast,” Rachel Goes Rogue–- on which she frequently discusses Scandoval and/or ‘Vanderpump Rules’–- as a way to “further bend the narrative to her will” post-Scandoval. 

New episodes of ‘Vanderpump Rules’–- on which Rachel does not appear–- air Tuesdays on Bravo. 

RELATED STORY: Tom Sandoval Demands Judge Presiding Over Lawsuit Filed By Rachel Leviss to Be Replaced Due to “Potential Prejudice” Against Him

(Photos: Bravo)