Love Is Blind is currently being sued by a cast member: Here’s everything the lawsuit claims

Right now, the production company behind Love Is Blind is being sued by a season five cast member. If you’re wondering why the current season felt low on engagements, it’s because the couple in question got completely edited out the final Love Is Blind season five show, following the claims made in the lawsuit.

Tran Dang is suing the Netflix show’s production team, Kinetic Content and Delirium TV, for sexual assault, false imprisonment and negligence. She was on the show this season, and got engaged to a man called Thomas Smith.

In the lawsuit, filed in August last year, Tran has claimed she was assaulted by Thomas during the retreat section of Love Is Blind, when they travelled to Mexico following their engagement in the pods.

A breakdown of everything that has been said in the lawsuit filed against Love Is Blind

Tran Dang’s lawsuit is for sexual assault, false imprisonment and negligence. In the file, she alleges on May 3rd 2022 Smith “forcefully groped her, exposed himself in the nude, and repeatedly made sexual contact over her express objections” without consent. Through an attorney, Smith has denied the allegations, and has said he will not comment further.

In terms of what has been alleged against Love Is Blind, the lawsuit says due to the nature of the show filming contestants all the time, the act must have been caught on camera. It states: “Due to Delirium TV and Kinetic Content’s 24-hour surveillance of Plaintiff and Defendant Smith, most if not all of these traumatic acts were filmed by the production crew and within their knowledge.”

Dang claims she told production of the alleged assault “the next morning” and “reported that she felt uncomfortable being around Smith.”

Dang also claims she was not allowed to leave her hotel room without permission, and “limited amounts of food” were provided to cast members against “several alcoholic beverages.” The lawsuit reads: “This combination was designed to encourage the participants to engage in striking conversations and actions that would increase viewer ratings.”

Kinetic Content and Delirium TV have both denied the claims made by Dang, and called them “meritless”. The production companies state they were not made aware of “any alleged wrongdoing.”

In a joint statement provided to Variety, the companies said: “We support and stand with victims of sexual assault, but Ms Dang’s claims against the producers are meritless. 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. We take any and all concerns of our participants seriously and prioritise their well-being.

“Obviously, we cannot address undisclosed concerns, and throughout the time that Ms Dang was involved in the production of Love is Blind, she never informed the producers of any alleged wrongdoing of any kind. Nor did she choose to end her participation in the experiment.

“Instead, Ms Dang continued in the experiment for weeks after the time her lawyers now claim an incident occurred. We deny and will vigorously defend the allegations against us.”

Chris Coelen, the creator of Love Is Blind, has said the production team was never informed Dang felt unsafe during the process, and said cast members are not filmed 24-hours a day. 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.

“They [cast] 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 a true believer in these real relationships, I want them to know what it’s like to be with their partner.”

Coelen has also denied the claims made about the amounts of food and alcohol provided to the cast members, and said: “It’s not true in any way. We don’t push alcohol. Everyone has consistent and regular access to food and water.”

The case is ongoing.

Love Is Blind is available on Netflix now. For all the latest Netflix news, drops, quizzes and memes like The Holy Church of Netflix on Facebook. 

Related stories recommended by this writer:

• Seven Love Is Blind contestants speak their truths of what being on the show is really like

• There were three more engagements in Love Is Blind season five that didn’t make the show

• The 12 strict rules Love Is Blind cast members have to follow during the experiment