Tom Sandoval ‘Crushed’ By ‘Absolutely Shocking’ Rachel Leviss Lawsuit – Here’s Why He’ll Likely Settle…

Tom Sandoval is devastated over the lawsuit from Rachel Leviss!

Almost exactly a year after the news of Scandoval broke, the 29-year-old former reality star sued both Sandoval and Ariana Madix for eavesdropping, revenge porn, invasion of privacy, and intentional infliction of emotional distress. Rachel claimed in her suit that her ex-lover “recorded sexually explicit videos of her without her knowledge or consent.” Then she claimed her former best friend “distributed, disseminated, and discussed” one of those vids publicly. Yes, that video — the one Ariana found that blew the lid of the affair.

Neither Sandy nor Ariana has addressed the lawsuit yet — though a resurfaced clip revealed the 38-year-old Broadway star previously insisted she had “not shown or sent” the NSFW video to anyone. Her attorney even sent “proof” of this when Rachel had a cease and desist letter sent to the cast members amid the cheating scandal.

Related: Jax Taylor & Brittany Cartwright Are SEPARATING! What Happens Next?

As for Sandoval? Like we said, he’s remained quiet about the legal matter. However, a source has come forward to give us some insight into how he’s doing amid the lawsuit. And spoiler alert! He’s not handling the situation well! A network insider told Dailymail.com on Tuesday:

“Tom is so crushed right now by this lawsuit. None of them ever realized that this would take the toll on Rachel that it did.”

What made this lawsuit especially heartbreaking for Sandoval? The source went on to say he wanted nothing more than to be together with Rachel after their affair was discovered — and is shocked over how everything turned out between them:

“Tom honestly thought that he and Rachel would ride off into the sunset together. He was obsessed with her. He loved her so much and was so sure that she was the one he would spend forever with. For her to turn around and sue him is so absolutely shocking.”

Did Sandoval not expect her to take legal action against him after he allegedly recorded an explicit video of her without permission? Seriously? If anything, we were more surprised she included Ariana in the lawsuit — the one who got betrayed by her then-boyfriend and pal! But will Sandoval fight back against this “shocking” lawsuit? The DM insider doesn’t think so! Instead, they feel the Schwartz & Sandy’s co-owner will most likely settle the lawsuit outside of court to avoid more of a “huge mess” of a trial:

“She is demanding a jury trial. This would suck everyone into court and create a huge mess, so she will likely be paid off privately so that it does not get there. At the time, they all let their human emotions get the best of them and were not thinking about the ramification to their careers. Things were said on air to Rachel that would never be okay, such as Katie [Maloney] saying she wanted to light her on fire. Scheana [Shay] attacking Rachel and causing bodily harm is documented.”

Hmm. We’re not sure the outbursts on a reality TV reunion would hold up in court as actual threats. In any case, it isn’t her other cast members she’s upset with. Rachel ultimately feels Ariana and Sandoval are to blame “for inflicting irreversible trauma on her.” The source continued:

“She was painted as the villain and yes, Rachel was in negotiations to return for season 11 and could have returned if she wanted to. She chose to not do so to protect her mental health. Instead, she sued the two people that she believed, through documented and sometimes filmed evidence, are responsible for inflicting irreversible trauma on her.”

Oof. Whether Ariana also will agree to settle out of court is unclear! We would have thought if she wanted to move on, she wouldn’t talk about it constantly on her podcast either. Considering she’s still so focused on it, she may just take her chances and fight it out given the option!

Innerestingly, the insider pointed out that the “network and show treated her with respect” and that she “had a good relationship with production.” Hmm. This could be why she didn’t include Bravo or the production company that works on the show in the lawsuit…

We’ll have to wait and see how this will all play out. But what are YOUR thoughts on the lawsuit, Perezcious readers? Let us know in the comments below!

[Image via Peacock/Bravo/YouTube]