Blindsided. Scheana Shay was “devastated” when Raquel Leviss served her with a temporary restraining order, according to her lawyer.
“Here’s someone that [Scheana] considered a dear friend, a younger sister,” Shay’s attorney, Neama Rahmani, exclusively told Us Weekly on Thursday, March 9, noting that Leviss’ affair with fellow Vanderpump Rules costar Tom Sandoval was a “betrayal” to not only to his then-girlfriend, Ariana Madix, but to their friends as well.
Rahmani added: “Scheana is obviously upset. [She] and Raquel were friends for years. She actually invited Raquel into her home where she lived for six months. So, for her to betray her like this, she’s devastated.”
Scheana Shay, Raquel Leviss. Tommy Garcia/Bravo ; Chelsea Lauren/Shutterstock
Us confirmed on March 3 that Sandoval, 39, and Madix, 37, split after nine years after news broke that the TomTom cofounder had cheated with Leviss, 28.
As the Pump Rules cast began to take sides, reports surfaced that Shay, 37, allegedly punched the former Miss Sonoma County after a joint appearance on Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen in the early hours of March 2.
Leviss claimed that the “Good as Gold” singer physically assaulted her after learning that she was hooking up with Sandoval amid his relationship with her best friend Madix. The former pageant queen then served Shay with a temporary restraining order on Tuesday, March 7, and shared photos of her alleged bruises from the altercation the following day.
“[Scheana] pushed me against [a] brick wall causing injury to back of [my] head and punched me in the face causing injury to my left eye,” Leviss alleged in the court documents, claiming she has a cut above her left eye and “blurred vision” from the incident.
Shay, for her part, denied the allegations through Rahmani on Thursday.
Raquel Leviss, Scheana Shay. Eugene Gologursky/Bravo
“This case is a fabrication by a known liar and a cheat who has betrayed everyone close to her. Scheana never punched Raquel, period,” the statement read. “The supposed dark markings around her left eye have been there for months. Neither Scheana nor other cast members want anything to do with Raquel 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.”
Despite their recent drama, the “Scheananigans with Scheana Shay” podcast host was still surprised that Leviss took legal action against her and some of her other costars.
“[For Raquel] to try to shift the blame and point the finger at [Scheana] when she’s the one who’s an admitted liar and she’s the one who’s been going around Ariana’s back — this is something that is mind-boggling and something that Scheana still hasn’t wrapped her head around,” her lawyer exclusively told Us on Thursday.
In addition to her legal battle with Shay, Leviss sent letters to several Pump Rules castmates earlier this week requesting they delete an explicit video of her and Sandoval. The notice claimed that the FaceTime clip was recorded “illegally” and “without permission” by the Sonoma State University alum. She warned that forwarding the video is a violation of California law.
“I can tell you that Scheana has never received the video. She has never seen the video,” Shay’s attorney confirmed to Us. “So any allegations with respect to Scheana in the video, I mean, those just aren’t true.”
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With reporting by Christina Garibaldi