Stephen Richardson sues Love Is Blind producers over ‘inhumane working conditions’
He's the latest cast member to join the class action lawsuit
Season seven Love Is Blind cast member, Stephen Richardson, has sued the producers of the Netflix series in a class action suit, claiming that they failed to pay wages and that cast were subjected to “inhumane working conditions.”
The class action suit, which was filed in court on Monday, named Netflix and producers of Love Is Blind, Kinetic Content and Delirium TV as defendants.
The suit, which multiple Love Is Blind cast members are now part of, claims that they were ““willfully misclassified” as “independent contractors.”
According to the suit, the producers “excessive control over the manner, means and timing of the work” means that the cast think they should be entitled to protections under California law, which includes minimum wage and overtime pay.
The class action lawsuit also alleges that those involved in the making of the show created “unsafe” working conditions by limiting the cast’s communications with those outside the show alongside “exerting complete domination over their time.”
The amount those involved will be seeking in damages is not yet specified.
The class action suit argues that the circumstances were shared not only by Stephen but also by Love Is Blind cast members who were on the show at least four years before it was filed, as well as those who have been involved in other similar reality TV series.
Deadline noted that the class action lawsuit will include those who were on “but not limited to seasons six, seven, eight and nine of the series.”
Season five Love Is Blind star Stacy recently won a multi-million claim against the production company alongside others who had also joined the class action lawsuit and she received $8,287.
The lawsuit was originally filed in July 2022 by Jeremey Hartwell, who also appeared on Love Is Blind.
The claim alleged that cast members had to go through “inhumane working conditions” with Jeremy claiming they were made to wait hours for food and water during the initial 24 hours of filming.
In the lawsuit he claimed: “The combination of sleep deprivation, isolation, lack of food, and an excess of alcohol all either required, enabled or encouraged by defendants contributed to inhumane working conditions and altered mental state for the cast.
“At times, defendants left members of the cast alone for hours at a time with no access to a phone, food, or any other type of contact with the outside world until they were required to return to working on the production.”
Pay was also a major point in the lawsuit with it being claimed that cast and crew on Love Is Blind had to work 20 hours per day, seven days a week whilst filming was taking place, for just $7.14 per hour.
At the time, the production company behind the show, Kinetic, released a statement which stated: “Mr Hartwell’s involvement in season two of Love Is Blind lasted less than one week.
“Unfortunately, for Mr Hartwell, his journey ended early after he failed to develop a significant connection with any other participant.
“While we will not speculate as to his motives for filing the lawsuit, there is absolutely no merit to Mr Hartwell’s allegations, and we will vigorously defend against his claims.”
Reality Shrine has reached out to Netflix, Kinetic Content and Delirium TV for comment.
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