Scheana’s Lawyer Answers Burning Questions About Raquel Restraining Order

Breaking it all down. Scheana Shay was “devastated” after Raquel Leviss served her with a temporary restraining order, according to her lawyer, Neama Rahmani. “Here's someone that she considered a dear friend, a younger sister,” Rahmani exclusively told Us Weekly on March 9 of Shay’s response to being served by Leviss, 28, amid her affair with Tom Sandoval. Us previously confirmed on March 3 that Sandoval, 40, and Ariana Madix split after nine years due to his affair with their costar Leviss. As the Vanderpump Rules cast past and present began rallying around Madix, 37, reports surfaced that Shay, 37, allegedly punched Leviss once she learned of the fling. The costars reportedly got into an altercation after filming an episode of Watch Happens Live With Andy Cohen on March 1. The former Miss Sonoma County proceeded to file for a temporary restraining order against Shay on March 7. One day later, Us obtained photos of Leviss that showed her with a black eye and cut that she claimed happened during the scuffle. “This case is a fabrication by a known liar and a cheat who has betrayed everyone close to her. Scheana never punched Raquel, period,” Shay’s lawyer exclusively told Us in a statement on March 9, marking the first comment from the “Good as Gold” singer’s camp. “The supposed dark markings around her left eye have been there for months.” The statement continued: “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 “Scheananigans with Scheana Shay” podcast host’s attorney told Us later that day that Shay was one of many Bravo stars who felt betrayed over Leviss’ hooking up with Sandoval. “For Raquel to turn around and take legal action against Scheana and to try to shift the blame and point the finger at her 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,” Rahmani said at the time. [jwplayer xyQv4win-zhNYySv2] As Shay prepares for her March 29 hearing — which will determine whether the temporary restraining order become permanent or is dropped completely — her attorney told Us his client is still navigating her emotions toward Leviss. “Needless to say [Scheana's] upset. They used to be friends. She viewed Raquel as a little sister, always took care of her, trusted her, brought her into her home,” Rahmani exclusively told Us on March 16. “So the fact that she would, you know, turn around and file this police report and seek this restraining order, she's really upset.” Rahmani pointed out, “Anyone that knows Scheana Shay knows that she's a fighter and she's not gonna back down. And she fully intends to go forward and litigate this restraining order issue and show the court and the world what the truth is if necessary.” The lawyer concluded: “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.” The restraining order, however, hasn’t just become an issue for Shay — it is affecting season 10 of the Bravo series. The show, which is currently filming, has been documenting the fallout between Sandoval, 40, and Leviss with the rest of the cast amid the cheating scandal. (Both stars have publicly apologized for the affair.) But the restraining order makes it impossible for Shay and Leviss to be in the same place at the same time — which makes the upcoming reunion tapping a big issue. “It's gonna be tough to make this reunion show happen with both of them,” Rahmani told Us, noting his client will not go against the order to film. Scroll down to learn more about the temporary restraining order and how it’s affecting Shay:

“Scheana is obviously upset. [She] and Raquel were friends for years. She actually invited Raquel into her home where she lived for six months,” the attorney told Us on March 9. “So for her to betray her like this, I can tell you that she's devastated. But she is steadfast and she's gonna fight these allegations.”

He added: “Scheana can't wait to get into court, present her witnesses, to present her evidence and show that this is all a fabrication.”

Season 10’s Pump Rules reunion is set to film in March ahead of Shay’s temporary restraining order hearing on March 29. If the date stands, Shay will be unable to not only be in the same room as Leviss, but according to Rahmani, she cannot even Zoom or speak to the former pageant queen through a third party.

“It's really up to Bravo executives, but 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,” the lawyer told Us. “But they can't be within close proximity of one another and they can't be directly communicating with one another. There can be no direct communication or even communication through any intermediaries.”

“No one [from Bravo have] let me or Scheana know how the reunion is gonna go down. Obviously, I think Scheana would still like it to happen,” the attorney told Us on March 16. “But as far as the logistics, all I know is she fully intends to comply with a temporary restraining order until that permanent restraining order hearing at which time she can be heard and, hopefully, she'll prevail. In which case this restraining order will go away entirely.”

Reunion host Andy Cohen, meanwhile, tweeted about all the drama surrounding the cast this season — and teased what’s to come via social media. “How many parts is too many parts for the #PumpRules reunion???” he pondered on March 3. The 54-year-old Bravo exec confessed on March 8 that he doesn’t know who will be on the couch for the special. “There’s so much happening every single day, so I don’t know,” Cohen said during an episode of SiriusXM’s Andy Cohen Live.

“Raquel could be in a world of hurt for filing a police report [and] malicious prosecution [case],” Rahmani revealed to Us, claiming that Shay “did not punch” Leviss, who shared photos of dark marks around her eye.

The lawyer alleged: “That bruising in and around Raquel's left eye that's been there for months. Folks can see that those dark circles … those were there and those were there well before this alleged incident.”

Rahmani confirmed to Us on March 16 that Leviss “didn’t check the box” on the temporary restraining order document under “personal conduct order” that states Shay would not be allowed to “contact the person either directly or indirectly in any way, including, but not limited to in person by telephone, in writing, by public or private mail, by interoffice mail, by email, by text message, by fax, or by other electronic means.”

However, the judge “still ordered Scheana not to contact Raquel,” according to her attorney. “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,” he said.

Rahmani noted that the order is “currently on the books right now” and those are the guidelines that Shay must go by until their March 29 trial. “Regardless of what Raquel requested, Scheana’s a law-abiding citizen and she's gonna follow that order,” he concluded.

Shay’s case will be presented to a Los Angeles court on March 29. At that time, the temporary restraining order will either become a permanent restraining order or it will be dropped. “Scheana intends to present her witnesses and her evidence and to disprove these allegations,” Rahmani explained. “And she's excited to have her day in court and have the judge hear both sides of the story.”

The attorney insisted that his client has been staying clear of Leviss amid all the drama. “Even if Raquel reaches out, [and] Scheana responds, that would be a violation of the order,” Rahmani explained. “I would instruct Scheana not to communicate with Raquel even if Raquel were to reach out.”

The lawyer previously told Us that the TV personality “and many of the other cast members want nothing to do with Raquel right now. So they're more than happy to keep her far, far away and have no communication with her.”

In addition to taking legal action against Shay, Leviss served several Pump Rules costars with a letter on March 7 regarding an explicit FaceTime video between her and Sandoval. The California native claimed that the clip was recorded “illegally” and “without permission” from her. In the filing, Leviss requested anyone who has the video to delete it and noted that if they sent it to anyone else it would be a violation of California law.

“Scheana has never received the video. She has never seen the video,” Rahmani told Us. “So any allegations with respect to Scheana in the video, those just aren't true.”