Love Is Blind Season 5 Contestant Sues Production Company, Alleges She Was Sexual Assaul

“Love Is Blind” contestant Tran Dang is suing production companies Kinetic Content and Delirium TV, claiming she was sexually assaulted by her former fiancé Thomas Smith during the filming of Season 5, which is the most recent season of the Netflix series. The pair got engaged during the season, but have not been featured in the episodes. Dang also alleges false imprisonment and negligence.

Kinetic Content and Delirium TV denied the claims in a joint statement after Variety obtained the lawsuit.

“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,” the companies said. “We take any and all concerns of our participants seriously and prioritize 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.”

Creator and CEO of Kinetic Content Chris Coelen also denied the allegations, insisting that production was never informed she felt unsafe. “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.”

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In her lawsuit, Dang alleges she was sexually assaulted by Smith on May 3, 2022, during the Mexico getaway vacation trip. When contacted by Variety, Smith’s attorney, Kip Patterson, said his client denies that allegations, adding, “We do not comment on ongoing litigation.”

Dang alleges that “Smith, and without Ms. Dang’s consent, forcefully groped her, exposed himself in the nude, and repeatedly made sexual contact over her express objections.” The lawsuit alleges, “Because of [Kinetic Content and Delirium TV’s] 24-hour surveillance of cast members, most, if not all, of these traumatic acts were likely captured on film.”

Coelen denied this claim to People, and previously told Variety in response to past allegations made by contestants that they are not filming 24 hours a day. “They are living their lives. They have plenty of moments where they are not being documented,” he said. “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 told Variety that every season, there are multiple couples who get engaged who are not followed. “Each season, there are are lots of stories that we don’t tell, regardless of whether couples get engaged or not,” he said. “Some of them even, we will follow for a little bit and not show their story on the show. It’s a little bit of a judgement call.”

In the lawsuit, Dang also alleges that she was harassed by Smith during a May 14, 2022 phone call, and that he then called producers to complain that she reported him. Dang claims that she attempted to notify producers multiple times, and decided to quit but was forced to film a final scene.

Coelen denies the claims, echoing what he’s previously told Variety — that anyone who wants to leave the show is free to do so, just as multiple cast members have done in the past.

Dang alleges that she was “prohibited from leaving her hotel room without express permission,” something that Coelen has said in the past is to “protect the integrity of the experiment.” During Variety’s Sept. 27 interview with Coelen, he responded to a similar allegation made by Nick Thompson, saying that the rules are in place to avoid cast members seeing other before they’re supposed to, and that there are employees available if the cast needs anything at any time.

Variety reached out to both Dang and Smith’s attorney, who did not immediately respond.

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Update: 2024-06-20

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