California Appeals Court Rejects Anti-SLAPP Motion in Reality-TV Sex-Video Dispute

The California Court of Appeal, with Justices Victor Viramontes and Matthew Scherb, ruled that Ariana Madix’s anti-SLAPP motion in the case brought by former Vanderpump Rules cast member Rachel Leviss must be denied. The court held that the core conduct—Madix’s alleged unauthorized copying and sharing of sexually explicit videos recorded by Tom Sandoval—does not qualify as speech connected to a public issue, even though Leviss’s relationship drama attracted widespread media attention.

The judges emphasized that a person’s public profile does not automatically render every facet of their private life a matter of public interest, citing the state’s revenge-porn statute. While the dissent highlighted the massive online discussion of the #Scandoval scandal, the majority focused on the privacy-related actions rather than any statements Madix may have made. The ruling leaves Leviss’s claims alive for further litigation, without expressing an opinion on the factual truth of the allegations. Legal representation includes firms Liner Freedman Taitelman + Cooley and Geragos & Geragos.