HOUSTON — A Houston woman is suing the producers of the Netflix show "Love is Blind" after she said she was sexually assaulted by another contestant during the filming of the show's fifth season.
The show puts single adults in separate pods as they communicate with other participants that they can't see in hopes they will fall in love and get engaged. Season 5 involved singles from Houston.
Tran Dang claims that in addition to being sexually assaulted, she was also falsely imprisoned by the show's producers.
The 16-page lawsuit was filed in Harris County in August 2022 and lists Delirium TV, LLC, Kinetic Content, LLC, and Thomas Smith, the man Dang got engaged to, as the defendants. Delirium TV and Kinetic Content are the producers of the show, according to the lawsuit. The producers and Smith's attorney issued a statement denying the allegations.
'Love is Blind' lawsuit allegations
The lawsuit says the producers controlled Dang's compensation, told her what to do during scenes, arranged travel and hotel accommodations and provided the rules for the show. According to the lawsuit, the participants' phones, passports, wallets and identification information were all taken by the producers when they showed up in California to start the filming of the show.
The lawsuit also claims that Dang's personal items, including food, toiletries and basic living items were controlled by the producers. It says the participants were given "several alcoholic beverages" but "limited amounts of food."
"This combination was designed to encourage the participants to engage in striking conversations and actions that would increase viewer ratings," the lawsuit alleges.
Dang said she showed up in California on April 18, 2022, and was placed into an isolation room, or "pod," as part of the show. When they weren't in the pods, the participants were isolated in hotel rooms until they were needed for filming. While there, Dang said she had no way to contact family, friends or any of the other contestants.
Dang and Smith were among the couples who got engaged and who were flown to Mexico on May 1. Dang claims that while she was in the hotel room, she wasn't allowed to leave and was kept under 24-hour surveillance.
In early May, according to the lawsuit, Thomas Smith sexually assaulted Dang and threatened her with bodily injury. She said he groped her, exposed himself to her without consent and made sexual contact with her without consent and against her objections. The lawsuit alleges that "most if not all" of the actions were filmed by the production crew.
Dang said she reported the behavior to the producers the next morning and told them she was uncomfortable around Smith, according to the lawsuit. She said the producers swept her concerns to the side and "condoned the mistreatment for the sake of reality television," the lawsuit claims.
According to the lawsuit, Dang returned to Houston on May 7, 2022. She said she was sequestered in the Royal Sonesta in the Galleria area, which Dang called the "prison hotel."
In addition to the assault and false imprisonment, the lawsuit also claims negligence on behalf of the production companies. Dang is seeking a jury trial and damages of more than $1 million.
Neither Dang nor Smith were listed as participants in the show when the full cast was announced and they have not appeared in season five.
Dang's attorney said the attorneys for the producers are delaying the case by "spending an inordinate amount of money on losing legal positions."
Dang's attorney issued this statement:
"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."
Reaction to 'Love is Blind' lawsuit
Thomas Smith has not publicly responded to Dang's claims but his attorney issued a statement defending his client: "We don’t comment on ongoing litigation. But I can tell you Thomas denies the allegations."
Kinetic Content, LLC, and Delirium TV, LLC, issued the following joint statement:
"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 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."
According to the statement, Dang “never informed the producers of any alleged wrongdoing of any kind” and “continued in the experiment for weeks after the time her lawyers now claim an incident occurred.”
In a separate statement, show creator Chris Coelen said that Dang "never told [us] that she felt unsafe or experienced any of the allegations that she made."
Previous lawsuit against dating show
In a separate lawsuit by Season 2 contestant Jeremy Hartwell, he accused "Love is Blind" of "inhumane working conditions" on set, including plying contestants with alcohol and failing to give them proper food breaks or compensation.
The lawsuit alleges the Netflix show's staff had "complete domination" over when the cast members ate, slept and communicated with the outside world and were paid $1,000 a week but often worked 20-hour days, seven days a week, according to CBS News.
Kinetic Content issued a statement in response to Hartwell's allegations. "Mr. Hartwell's involvement in Season 2 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."