Amid the reality TV cheating scandal heard around the world, Vanderpump Rules star Raquel Leviss has filed a restraining order against her co-star, who she says punched her in the face last week—and she has the photos of her wounds to prove it.
In a Los Angeles Superior Court restraining order filed on Tuesday, the 28-year-old claims that during a March 2 argument around 1:30 a.m., Scheana Shay pushed her against a “brick wall causing injury to the back of the head.”
“[Shay] punched me in the face causing injury to my left eye,” Leviss hand-wrote in the petition.
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“Currently mutual friends and coworkers are telling me she doesn’t regret the physical attack on me and would do it again if she found that further emotional distress was caused to our mutual friend.”
“Vanderpump Rules” Star Raquel Leviss shares photos of her bruised face in a restraining order filed in L.A. County Superior Court.
Los Angeles Superior CourtThe attack came amid swirling rumors that Leviss had a months-long affair with co-star Tom Sandoval while he was still dating their other co-star Ariana Madix. On Wednesday, Leviss seemingly confirmed the affair in an Instagram post apologizing for her “actions and my choices foremost to Ariana, and to my friends and the fans so invested in our relationships.”
There is no excuse, I am not a victim and I must own my actions and I deeply regret hurting Ariana,” she said, adding that she’s been “physically assaulted, lost friendships, received death threats and hate emails in addition to having had my privacy violated” since the affair was made public last week.
“I have sought emotional validation through intimate connections that are not healthy without regard for my own well-being, sometimes negatively affecting others and often prioritizing the intimate connection over my friendships,” Leviss said in her Wednesday Instagram post. “I am taking steps to understand my behavior and make healthier choices... I don't expect sympathy, understanding or forgiveness. Right now I must focus on my own health and well-being and as I strive to be a better person moving forward, I will prioritize my mental health and learn from my mistakes.”
In the Tuesday petition, where Leviss asked for Shay to stay at least 100 feet away from her, Leviss said that attack left her with a “black eye and cut” and “scar to [her] left eyebrow.” She also noted that she has sustained blurred vision and “swelling to the left eye”—and supplied several photos of her injuries.
The restraining order petition is the latest escalation in the bombshell scandal that has rocked the Bravo community. Leviss has also filed a legal letter to her entire Vanderpump Rules cast after Madix reportedly found an NSFW video of her former boyfriend and their co-star on Sandoval’s phone. TMZ reported that Leviss demanded in the letter that her co-stars not spread the video she said was taken without her consent.
It is not immediately clear how the legal letter—and the restraining order petition—will affect the filming of the Bravo show currently in production of their 10th season.
Sandoval has also since issued a statement about the affair, stating that he wants to “apologize to Ariana” for the ordeal.
“I made mistakes, I was selfish, and made reckless decisions that hurt somebody I love. No one deserves to feel that pain so traumatically and publicly,” he added.
