Scheana Shay ‘Never Punched’ Raquel Leviss, Attorney Says
In a statement issued on Thursday, Scheana Shay’s lawyer called Raquel Leviss a ‘liar and a cheat’ after she obtained a restraining order against Scheana for allegedly punching her.
Raquel Leviss, 28, is lying about Scheana Shay, 37, pushing her up against a wall and punching her in New York City last week, attorney Neama Rahmani, who is representing Scheana, said in a statement released on March 9. “This case is a fabrication by a known liar and a cheat who has betrayed everyone close to her. Scheana never punched Raquel, period,” he said in the statement, which was shared with HollywoodLife via a publicist. “The supposed dark markings around her left eye have been there for months. Neither Scheana nor other cast members want anything to do with Rachel going forward. The judge has only heard a one-sided account of what happened, and we look forward to presenting the full and true story at the March 29 hearing.”
Raquel filed for a restraining order against her Vanderpump Rules co-star on Tuesday, March 7 in Los Angeles, and was granted a temporary one that orders Scheana to stay 100 feet away from her the following day. In the court docs, which were obtained by HollywoodLife, Raquel wrote that the reality star punched her “in the face causing injury to” her left eye.” She also claimed the alleged attack resulted in “[a] black eye and cut/scar to left eyebrow, blurred vision & swelling to left eye”. As seen in the below photos, Raquel’s left eye appeared to be discolored and there is blood on her left eyebrow.
The alleged assault reportedly took place on Thursday, March 2, just hours after Raquel and Scheana appeared to be cool with each other on Andy Cohen‘s Watch What Happens Live. The alleged attack reportedly occurred in connection to Raquel’s affair with co-star Tom Sandoval, 39, who was in a nine-year relationship with their Vanderpump Rules co-star and Raquel’s supposed friend, Ariana Madix, 37. Ariana and Scheana are super close, and court docs say that Scheana is not sorry for allegedly punching her, which is why Raquel felt it necessary to obtain a restraining order. The documents also say that mutual friends are telling Raquel that the Viva Verano founder “would do it again if she found that further emotional distress was caused to” Ariana.
Scheana showed her support for Ariana on Instagram with a March 5 photo of her and Ariana posing on the carpet for Watch What Happens Live. “Always got your back!” she captioned the photo with a punching emoji and a “Team Ariana” hashtag.
News of Tom and Raquel’s affair broke publicly on March 3, and Bravo cameras were in action on Saturday, March 4, to capture the downfall of Tom and Ariana’s relationship. Tom admitted to the affair via an Instagram post he shared on March 5, in which he did not mention Ariana, but apologized to the co-owners of his Schwartz & Sandy’s bar and restaurant (which includes co-star Tom Schwartz) and their employees. He followed up with an apology directed at Ariana on March 7.
“I want to first and foremost apologize to everyone I’ve hurt through this process,” he began in his lengthy note. “Most of all, I want to apologize to Ariana. 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.”
“I can only imagine how devastating this has been for Ariana and everyone around us,” the TomTom co-owner continued. “I feel really horrible about that. My biggest regret is that I dishonored Ariana. I never meant to disappoint so many people, including our loving families and friends. My love for Ariana was stronger than any camera could have ever captured. Some of our best times together were never filmed. The same goes for some of our biggest struggles. I wish things happened in a different order and our relationship was not severely tarnished, and that it ended with the same respect with for her that it began with. I owed Ariana better.”
“I am beyond sad that it ended the way it did. The choices I made hurt so many people,” he added, wrapping up his post. “I acted in a way that clashes with who and how I want to be. I will continue to reflect and work on myself. I have work to do. I always have and I always will.”
Raquel broke her silence on the matter by apologizing to Ariana in a statement released to Entertainment Tonight on March 8. “I want to apologize for my 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.
“I am reflecting on my choices, speaking to a counselor and I am learning things about myself such as my patterns of codependency and addiction to being and feeling loved,” she continued. “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. I am taking steps to understand my behavior and make healthier choices.”
After addressing some of the things that she has gone through due to the affair — such as losing friendships and allegedly being physically assaulted — she said she is focused on breaking her “unhealthy behavioral cycle” with the help of counseling as well as protecting her mental health.
Ariana has not spoken publicly about the devastating situation but is leaving on her friends Katie Maloney, Lala Kent, Scheana Shay, and former VPR star and Tom’s ex Kristen Doute for support, according to Page Six. “Ariana has recapped what happened with her friends and castmates, the majority of whom are disappointed Tom seems unable to take accountability for his actions or express substantial remorse,” a person close to the reality star revealed to the publication.