Raquel Leviss’ decision to drop her request for a permanent restraining order against Scheana Shay is “just another PR stunt,” a source tells Page Six.
“There is no mechanism to terminate a civil temporary restraining order (TRO) early, unlike a domestic violence temporary restraining order,” the insider points out.
Due to the temporary restraining order, which was granted earlier this month and is set to expire on March 29, Leviss and Shay taped Thursday’s “Vanderpump Rules” Season 10 reunion separately.
In a statement released to Entertainment Tonight on Friday morning, Leviss claimed that her “team tried to work with Scheana on a mutually beneficial agreement hoping to get the TRO dropped earlier so we could film [the reunion] together.”
Leviss said her attorney removed the case from the court calendar on Wednesday and was in the process of “filing the appropriate paperwork requested by the court today to dismiss the TRO” from moving forward.
However, she did not need Shay’s permission to end the petition for a restraining order, we hear.
The former pageant queen further claimed that her counsel “let the court know” that she will not be pursuing a permanent restraining order (PRO) against Shay, 37, either.
It’s unclear when the case for the PRO will officially be dropped since Page Six confirmed that the hearing is still scheduled for March 29, according to the the Los Angeles Superior Court calendar.
“Raquel made false claims in order to obtain the TRO against Scheana and is aware that having to account for those in front of a judge are not in her best interest,” our insider asserts.
The embattled co-stars could not film together at the reunion due to the TRO, but Shay’s attorney Neama Rahmani told Page Six that Leviss had host Andy Cohen “serve” Shay with papers that had “no legal meaning” during Shay’s portion of the taping Thursday.
“There is no way for Rachel to ‘drop’ the temporary restraining order before next week’s hearing,” Rahmani told us, referencing Leviss’ birth name. “This is California law and even on the court’s website.”
Meanwhile, Leviss claimed on Friday that the temporary order was “intended to provide a cooling-off period” after a confrontation between the women allegedly turned physical — and insisted that she “didn’t want to continue with the permanent RO” to cause Shay further “agony and stress.”
“This entire case is a fabrication by a known liar and a cheat who has betrayed everyone close to her,” Rahmani previously said in a statement.
Page Six has reached out to reps for Shay and Leviss for comment.
Shay’s attorney previously accused Leviss of “sabotaging” the reunion — which a source described to TMZ as “nuclear” — since the women are barred from direct interaction or being within 100 yards of one another until the TRO expires.
Follow Page Six’s coverage of ‘Scandoval’:
Leviss obtained a temporary restraining order against Shay on March 7 after the “Good as Gold” singer allegedly punched the former pageant queen for having a months-long affair with castmate Tom Sandoval, who had been dating Ariana Madix for nearly a decade.
Through her attorney, Shay has denied ever hitting Leviss.
Leviss doubled down on her claim when she accused Shay of giving her a “permanent scar” on her left eyebrow while chatting with a paparazzo outside a Los Angeles nail salon on Wednesday.
However, Shay’s attorney has described Leviss’ account as fictional, claiming in the past that the “supposed dark markings around [Leviss’] left eye have been there for months.”
“Vanderpump Rules” airs Wednesdays at 9 p.m. ET on Bravo.