The show's creator denied Tran Dang's allegations against the production company.
Tran Dang is suing after her experience on Love Is Blind. The reality contestant, who filmed season 5 and got engaged but was not featured on the Netflix series, is alleging assault, false imprisonment and negligence in her lawsuit against production companies Kinetic Content and Delirium TV, which was obtained by ET.
Love Is Blind creator Chris Coelen tells People, who was first to report the news, that Dang's claims against production are "completely meritless."
Kinetic Content and Delirium TV echo that in statement to ET, which reads in part, "We support and stand with victims of sexual assault, but Ms. Dang's claims against the producers are meritless... We deny and will vigorously defend the allegations against us."
ET has reached out to Netflix for comment on the lawsuit.
Dang alleges in her lawsuit that, after she got engaged to Thomas Smith during filming, she was sexually assaulted in Mexico by her then-fiancé. Smith's attorney, Kip Patterson, tells the outlet that they do not comment on ongoing litigation.
"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 complaint claims, additionally alleging that "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."
Dang claims she reported the alleged incident, but alleges that an an assistant producer "gaslighted her, implying that she was at fault for what had happened with Thomas Smith by not communicating effectively or somehow not taking the 'relationship' seriously."
Coelen denies as much, claiming that Dang "did not make any kind of claim of assault of any kind."
"We would not continue filming with someone who was expressing that an incident of that sort had happened," he says. "We have round-the-clock psychologists, a highly trained production team, we have a whole battalion of people whose job it is to make sure that we prioritize our participant's well-being. But the participant has to be actively involved in that process."
"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," Coelen adds. "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."
Kinetic Content and Delirium TV concur, telling ET, "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."
Indeed, a source close to production tells ET that the couple in question on Love Is Blind filmed after the honeymoon and moved into an apartment together, which was well after the alleged assault.
Eventually, Dang decided to quit the show, but claims she was told she had to film a "final scene," in which, she claims, she was fed lines by producers.
"We are not filming around the clock. We are not mounting cameras in their personal living spaces. We don't do that," Coelen tells the outlet. "We're like a documentary. They are alone during periods of times, they are not under surveillance. We do not tell people what to say, what to do, we consistently tell people that this is their journey, this is their life to lead as they choose. We're there to follow it."
In addition to her assault allegations, Dang claims she was falsely imprisoned, which Coelen calls "preposterous and ridiculous."
"You come and go as you choose. You are not required to stay. If you stay, that is your decision," he tells the outlet. "The participants are not under our control. They are living their lives. We come in, we film them for a period of time, we leave. They can leave -- as many, many, many people have before -- anytime they want."
Kinetic Content and Delirium TV echo that, telling ET, "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 prioritize their well-being."
Additionally, in response to Dang's claims, ET's source says, "The allegations that she was not allowed to leave have to be weighed against the fact that -- at the same time -- Taylor [Rue] was allowed to sleep in another room during her honeymoon because she felt uncomfortable with JP [Pierce], and three other cast members left the show during same season."
Dang additionally claims in her lawsuit that she was "intentionally sequestered for two weeks" in the pods and provided with "alcohol, but limited food," which was, she alleges, "designed to encourage them to engage in striking conversations and actions that would increase viewer ratings."
However, on The Viall Files podcast, Love Is Blind contestant Izzy Zapata said he "ate so much in there," further stating, "We had food all the time. It was great."
Coelen additionally denies the alcohol and food allegations, telling People that they're "100 percent false and defamatory."
"It's not true in any way... we don't push alcohol," he says. "Everyone has consistent and regular access to food and water."
Dang additionally claims she had to "request permission to do virtually anything, including use the restroom."
"In the pods, they're on a 68,000-square-foot soundstage, where it's dark, there's a lot of people, there's a lot of equipment, and even for me, it's very confusing to get around from place to place," Coelen tells the outlet. "Because of that, and because we want to protect the integrity of the experiment, we do not want them wandering around by themselves, and wandering over into [the other sex's] living quarters, because sometimes people are tempted to do that -- we want to avoid that. So if they need to go to the bathroom, they tell us and we have someone escort them to the bathroom. That is how it works in the pods. When they are out of the pods, they can go to the bathroom whenever they want."
In an emailed statement, Dang's attorney, Benjamin W. Allen of Wallace & Allen LLP, tells ET in part, "We have to hold the show producers accountable. We have an ethical duty to our client to do so, but also feel a moral obligation to the next generation of reality show participants."
This isn't the first time the team behind Love Is Blind has faced litigation. Last year, Jeremy Hartwell filed a lawsuit against the streaming service and the show's production company, alleging that they "maintained excessive control over virtually every aspect of the lives of their shows' cast, including exerting complete domination over their time, schedule, and their ability to eat, drink, and sleep, and communicate with the outside world during the period of employment."
At the time, Kinetic Connect reacted in a statement, telling ET, "There is absolutely no merit to Mr. Hartwell's allegations, and we will vigorously defend against his claims."
If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, please contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or go to rainn.org.
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