There’s a legal conundrum that Bravo executives must address before the Vanderpump Rules reunion. Cast jezebel Raquel Leviss filed a restraining order against co-star Scheana Shay. In it, she accused the Scheananigans podcast host of allegedly physically assaulting her. As a result, the two cannot be in near proximity to one another. Nor can they have any communication.
Scheana’s lawyer, Neama Rahmani, explained the situation to Us Weekly. “It’s really up to Bravo executives, but I mean, they cannot be physically within 100 yards of each other as of the current order. So one of them may have to skip the reunion, or maybe Raquel will have to Zoom in, but they can’t be within close proximity of one another, and they can’t be directly communicating with one another. So it’s gonna be tough to make this reunion show happen with both of them,” the lawyer stated.
Fans suggested either Raquel or Scheana attend the reunion via Zoom. Social media followers were at odds as to which situation would be better. Most called for Raquel to show up in person and face Ariana Madix.
Using Zoom isn’t a full-proof solution, either. Scheana and Raquel would not be able to address one another. Scheana’s lawyer added, “There can be no direct communication or even communication through any intermediaries.
The best outcome would be if the restraining order was dropped at the March 29th hearing. However, Neama Rahmani said it’s also “possible” that the judge would make the restraining order permanent.
It’s Scheana’s plan to fight the charges. Her lawyer confirmed that the Good As Gold singer “intends to present her witnesses and her evidence and to disprove these allegations. And she’s excited to have her day in court and have the judge hear both sides of the story.”
RELATED: Lisa Vanderpump Reveals Whether She Believes Scheana Shay Punched Raquel Leviss
The court documents alleged that a physical altercation with Scheana left Raquel with “blurred vision” and a cut above her left eye. “[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,” Raquel claimed.
On March 9, 2023 Scheana responded through her legal team to deny the allegations. “This case is a fabrication by a known liar and a cheat who has betrayed everyone close to her. Scheana never punched Raquel, period,” Scheana’s attorney said in a statement. “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.”
The supposed assault happened after Scheana found out that Raquel was cheating with Tom Sandoval for the better part of a year. The affair went under the radar for seven months until Ariana discovered a sexually explicit video of the former pageant queen on her ex-boyfriend’s phone.
Former VPR star Kristen Doute recalled how it went down during an episode of her Sex, Love and What Else Matters podcast. “During Tom’s performance, his phone fell out of his pocket or something and somebody — a mutual friend — picks up the phone, hands it to Ariana. … Ariana had his phone and she told me that she just had this gut intuition to look at it,” Kristen said. “They are, like, a trusting couple … She just found, like, she had to look. So she went into his photos. He had screen recorded a FaceTime of him and Raquel masturbating with each other. That’s the truth.”
The situation escalated when Scheana found out. She and Raquel were in New York together to film Watch What Happens Live. However, Kristen denied that Scheana put her hands on her disgraced cast mate.
“[Ariana] called Raquel. Raquel and Scheana were together after Watch What Happens Live,” Kristen explained. “And she’s like, walking around all Raquel-like, and Scheana’s like, ‘Who are you on the phone with? What is going on?’ And too casually, [Raquel] says, ‘I’m talking to Ariana. Sandoval and I had a 7-month affair.’ You’re telling this to Ariana’s best friend. So she threw Raquel’s phone in the gutter.”
According to Andy Cohen, the Pump Rules reunion is set to film in two-and-a-half weeks. Plans are up in the air as the situation is very dynamic. Scheana’s attorney noted that if the date of the reunion changed, both ladies could be present.
“I think there will be a lot happening in the two and a half weeks. There’s so much happening every single day, so I don’t know,” Andy said.
On her podcast, Scheana joked around about Bravo having to provide security. She’s not wrong. It seems like Raquel might need it.
TELL US- HOW DO YOU THINK BRAVO WILL ORGANIZE THE REUNION? SHOULD RAQUEL OR SCHEANA APPEAR OVER ZOOM? DOES RAQUEL NEED SECURITY? DO YOU THINK THE RESTRAINING ORDER WILL BE DROPPED?
[Photo by: Todd Williamson/Bravo]
