Mixed messages? Scheana Shay’s lawyer revealed that Raquel Leviss did not specifically request no contact in her temporary restraining order against her costar.
“Raquel didn’t check the [no contact] box, but the judge still ordered Scheana not to contact Raquel. So, it really doesn’t matter what Raquel requested. She’s requesting a restraining order, and the judge in this case did order Scheana to stay away from Raquel and not to contact Raquel,” attorney Neama Rahmani exclusively told Us Weekly on Thursday, March 16.
Leviss, 28, claimed in court documents earlier this month that Shay pushed her against a brick wall and punched her in the face after learning of her affair with Tom Sandoval. Amid the scandal, Us confirmed that Ariana Madix and Sandoval, 40, called it quits after nine years of dating.
The 37-year-old “Good As Gold” singer — who was close friends with Leviss before the controversy — has denied getting physical with the former pageant queen.
“This case is a fabrication by a known liar and cheat who has betrayed everyone close to her. Scheana never punched Raquel, period,” Rahmani said in a March 9 statement. “The supposed dark markings around her left eye have been there for months.”
The legal practitioner told Us on Thursday that the temporary restraining order will be in place until at least March 29, when a hearing will take place to determine whether the order should be made permanent. Rahmani noted that Shay intends to comply with the order of protection — no matter how it affects the season 10 reunion of Vanderpump Rules, which is set to be filmed later this month.
“I don’t know what Bravo’s gonna do … but I do know that Scheana is gonna obey that restraining order. She’s gonna stay 100 yards away from Raquel. She’s not gonna contact Raquel, either directly or through an intermediary,” he told Us. “So, I don’t know how that’s gonna affect the reunion — if the reunion is gonna be pushed or it’s gonna happen in some other way. I think that’s really a question for Bravo executives.”
Although his client is “a law-abiding citizen” who will follow the judge’s orders, Rahmani said that Leviss’ legal action was an abuse of the system.
“Our civil and criminal justice system is intended for victims of violence … [and] people who are attacked. Not because there is a disagreement between former best friends and an argument because one person disagrees about another one having an inappropriate relationship,” he argued. “So, this is not how our system of justice should be used. Obviously, we disagree with Raquel filing this police report and this restraining order, and to the extent that we need to litigate it, we will litigate it and we will win.”
Leviss — who joined the cast of Pump Rules in 2017 — broke her silence about the affair on March 8 in a lengthy statement shared via Instagram.
“I want to apologize for my actions and my choices to Ariana, my friends and the fans so invested in our relationships,” the California native wrote.
The Bravolebrity added that she is “reflecting on [her] choices” and speaking to a counselor to learn “things about [herself] such as [her] patterns of codependency and addiction to being and feeling loved.”
Sandoval publicly apologized to his now-ex in a social media post of his own earlier this month after initially addressing the backlash against his business reputation. Madix, 37, for her part, broke her silence on her ex’s infidelity on Thursday, March 16.
“To say i have been devastated and broken is an understatement. however, i know that i am not in this alone. so many of my closest friends are also grieving this loss right now and reeling from this betrayal on so many levels. i am so f—king lucky to have the best support system in the world and i hope i can repay every single person for the love you have shown me,” she wrote, adding, “what doesn’t kill me better run.”
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With reporting by Christina Garibaldi
