The show’s fifth season is currently streaming on Netflix.
A “Love is Blind” contestant is suing the production companies behind the Netflix series, alleging she was sexually assaulted during the filming of season 5.
Season 5 contestant Tran Dang is suing production companies Kinetic Content and Delirium TV, per Variety. Dang alleges she was sexually assaulted by her ex-fiancé Thomas Smith, who she got engaged to during the filming of the season.
Smith’s attorney, Kip Patterson, said in an emailed statement to the Grio: “We don’t comment on ongoing litigation. But I can tell you Thomas denies the allegations.”
While the two filmed throughout, they have not been featured at all in the show’s fifth season, which is currently dropping in batches on the streamer. Dang also alleges false imprisonment and negligence, according to the report.
In the lawsuit, Dang alleges she was assaulted by her ex-fiancé while they filmed the Mexican getaway trip, a trip featured during the season through the lens of the other couples. Per the lawsuit, Dang alleges, “Smith, and without Ms. Dang’s consent, forcefully groped her, exposed himself in the nude, and repeatedly made sexual contact over her express objections.”
Both Kinetic Content and Delirium TV denied the claims in a statement in the Variety report. “We support and stand with victims of sexual assault, but Ms. Dang’s claims against the producers are meritless,” the companies said in the statement.
“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.”
They added, “We take any and all concerns of our participants seriously and prioritize their well-being.”
The lawsuit also alleges that due to the production companies’ 24-hour surveillance of the cast, “most, if not all, of these traumatic acts were likely captured on film.” Chris Coelen, creator and CEO of Kinetic Content, denied the notion that they are filmed 24/7 in a separate statement to Variety regarding another claim earlier this year.
He told the outlet at the time, “They are living their lives. They have plenty of moments where they are not being documented. We don’t mount cameras in the bedrooms or bathrooms. We don’t have any of those. They know when we’re around.
As theGrio recently pointed out, the latest “Love is Blind” season has been a bit different than seasons past, focusing on only a handful of couples and a major love triangle between the pods.
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