Two production companies for Love Is Blind have been hit with a new lawsuit. Per People, Kinetic Content and Delirium TV are being sued over claims of sexual assault, false imprisonment, and negligence. Plaintiff Tran Dang, who participated as a contestant but did not appear in the final cut of the show, has claimed that she was sexually assaulted during filming of the reality show’s fifth season in May 2022. According to the full lawsuit obtained by Deadline, Dang’s then on-screen fiancé, Thomas Smith, allegedly groped her, exposed himself in the nude without consent, and “forcibly and repeatedly made sexual contact” despite her “express objections.” The complaint alleges that due to 24-hour surveillance, “most if not all of these traumatic acts were filmed by the production crew and within their knowledge.” But Dang claims that producers “made attempts to mask Plaintiff’s sexual assault by characterizing it as a lack of attraction” and “swept aside her concerns.”
Kinetic Content and Delirium TV denied the allegations in a joint statement to People. “We support and stand with victims of sexual assault, but Ms. Dang’s claims against the producers are meritless,” the statement reads. “We document the independent choices of adults who volunteer to participate in a social experiment. Their journey is not scripted, nor is it filmed around the clock. We have no knowledge or control over what occurs in private living spaces when not filming, and participants may choose to end their journey at any time.” The companies added that they “cannot address undisclosed concerns,” and claimed that Dang “never informed the producers of any alleged wrongdoing of any kind.” They also stated that Dang continued to film for weeks after her lawyers say the alleged incident took place.
Love Is Blind creator Chris Coelen similarly issued a statement asserting that he supports those who come forward about sexual assault. “If anybody ever came to us and said they felt unsafe in any way, we would immediately remove them from the experiment and talk to them, and try to get to the bottom of it,” he said. “Unfortunately, in this case, that kind of sentiment was never addressed to us in any way, nor was any alleged wrongdoing brought to our attention ever.” He also denied Dang’s false imprisonment claims, noting that participants are allowed to leave. This isn’t the first time that Coelen has had to come to the defense of his show. Last month, he denied that cast members experience mistreatment, in response to a separate lawsuit over Love Is Blind’s allegedly “inhumane working conditions.”
