Tran Dang, a contestant on Season 5 of Netflix’s Love is Blind, is submitting a lawsuit in opposition to manufacturing corporations Kinetic Content and Delirium TV amid allegations that she was sexually assaulted by her former fiancé Thomas Smith whereas filming, People experiences. Dang just isn’t featured in any episodes.
According to the lawsuit, Dang and Thomas flew to Mexico after getting engaged, whereas filming was nonetheless going down, and Dang was allegedly sexually assaulted in the course of the journey on May 3, 2022. She additionally reported being harassed by Smith throughout a telephone name on May 14, 2022 in Houston. This reportedly brought on Smith to name producers, “complaining that she had reported his habits.”
The go well with states that “as a result of Delirium TV and Kinetic Content’s 24-hour surveillance of Plaintiff and Defendant Smith, most if not all of those traumatic acts had been filmed by the manufacturing crew and inside their information.”
“If anyone ever got here to us and stated they felt unsafe in any approach, we might instantly take away them from the experiment and discuss to them, and attempt to unravel it,” sequence creator and govt producer Chris Coelen instructed People. “Unfortunately, on this case, that type of sentiment was by no means addressed to us in any approach, nor was any alleged wrongdoing delivered to our consideration ever.”
The lawsuit additionally alleges false imprisonment, particularly that the forged was “deliberately sequestered for 2 weeks” within the pods, and that “whereas on set, for as much as 18 hours per day,” Dang needed to “request permission to do nearly something, together with use the restroom,” and in addition “was prohibited from leaving her lodge room with out categorical permission and stored beneath 24-hour surveillance.”
Additionally, the lawsuit asserts that the businesses “supplied the forged members with alcohol—however restricted meals” whereas filming, a “mixture that was designed to encourage them to interact in putting conversations and actions that might improve viewer rankings.”
In phrases of those claims, Coelen deemed them “one hundred pc false and defamatory.”
“It’s not true in any approach … we don’t push alcohol,” Coelen stated. “Everyone has constant and common entry to meals and water.”
Also, he clarified that whereas contestants are within the pods, they “have somebody escort them to the toilet” so as to “shield the integrity of the experiment” and since “it’s very complicated to get round from place to put.”
When reached for remark by Decider, Kinetic Content and Delirium TV relayed the next in a joint assertion:
“We assist and stand with victims of sexual assault, however Ms. Dang’s claims in opposition to the producers are meritless. We doc the unbiased selections of adults who volunteer to take part in a social experiment. Their journey just isn’t scripted, neither is it filmed across the clock. We haven’t any information or management over what happens in non-public residing areas when not filming, and members might select to finish their journey at any time.”
They continued, “We take any and all issues of our members significantly and prioritize their well-being. Obviously, we can’t tackle undisclosed issues, and all through the time that Ms. Dang was concerned within the manufacturing of Love is Blind, she by no means knowledgeable the producers of any alleged wrongdoing of any type. Nor did she select to finish her participation within the experiment. Instead, Ms. Dang continued within the experiment for weeks after the time her legal professionals now declare an incident occurred. We deny and can vigorously defend the allegations in opposition to us.”
Decider reached out to Netflix for remark, however didn’t hear again in time of publication.
Love is Blind is streaming on Netflix.
If you or somebody wants to achieve out about sexual abuse or assault, RAINN is offered 24/7 at 800-656-HOPE (4673), or on-line at RAINN.org.
