‘Love Is Blind’ Contestant Claims Ex-Fiancé Sexually Assaulted Her on Set
A Love Is Blind contestant has filed a lawsuit claiming she was sexually assaulted on set by her former fiancé.
In the original lawsuit — filed in Aug. 2022, but only just revealed by People — Tran Dang said Thomas Smith sexually assaulted her while the two were filming Season Five of Love Is Blind (which is currently airing). Over the course of the season, Dang and Thomas got engaged, but have not featured in any of the episodes that have aired so far. Along with Smith, the suit named as defendants Love is Blind production company Kinetic Content, as well as Delirium TV, another production company that worked on the show.
More from Rolling Stone
'Fair Play' Director Chloe Domont on Consent and That Shocking Ending
How to Watch 'Love is Blind' Season 5: Stream the Hit Dating Series Online
In the suit, Dang alleges that Smith assaulted her on May 3, 2022, while filming the Mexico vacation portion of the series. The complaint claims that Smith “forcefully and without [Dang’s] consent” groped her, “exposed himself,” and “forcibly and repeatedly made sexual contact… over her express objections.”
The lawsuit goes on to allege that, because of the “24-hour surveillance” that’s part of filming Love Is Blind, “most if not all of these traumatic acts were filmed by the production crew and within their knowledge.” Dang also said she reported Smith’s conduct to Kinetic and Delirium the following morning and told them she was “uncomfortable being around Smith.”
In response, Dang alleges, the producers “made attempts to mask Plaintiff’s sexual assault by characterizing it as a lack of attraction on part of the Plaintiff.” When Dang “insisted an assault took place,” she claims the producers “questioned whether the problem was really one of communication and swept aside her concerns.”
In a statement shared with Rolling Stone, Kinetic Content and Delirium TV 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.”
The companies also claimed that Dang “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.”
Lawyers for Smith did not immediately return Rolling Stone’s request for comment, though did tell People that they don’t comment on ongoing litigation.
While it’s been over a year since Dang filed her original lawsuit, the case has yet to go to trial. Instead, the defendants have challenged the lawsuit on various legal grounds, and kept the case bogged down with appeals.
In a statement, Dang’s lawyer, Ben Allen said, “The producers are throwing money at the problem by spending an inordinate amount of money on losing legal positions that do nothing but delay the parties from having their day in Court. They lost on three distinct legal issues before the trial court and then filed three separate appeals to multiply the proceedings we have to wade through before finally trying this case. But we are confident that Ms. Dang’s position will be vindicated once we get there and are committed to seeing it through all of the way. 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.”
News of Dang’s lawsuit and allegations come as Love Is Blind has faced increased scrutiny. Last year, former cast member Jeremy Hartwell sued Netflix and Kinetic over accusations of “inhumane working conditions” and poor wages for a grueling schedule. Earlier this year, other contestants shared similar claims with Insider, including Season Two cast member Danielle Ruhl, who said producers pushed her to remain on the show, even when she had a panic attack, expressed concern that filming was exacerbating her anxiety, and told producers she was having suicidal thoughts.
In a recent interview with Variety, Kinetic CEO and Love Is Blind creator Chris Coelen defended the show against the allegations of poor working conditions. He also rebuffed Ruhl’s claim, saying she “didn’t inform the production team that she was having any thoughts of self-harm,” adding: “If she had, we wouldn’t have continued to film with her. She never asked anyone in production ever to leave the show. She was free to leave the experiment at any time, as many participants have in the past.”
Best of Rolling Stone
