Atmosphere at the VIP Watch Party and Celebration for "Love Is Blind: The Live Reunion" held at The Vermont Hollywood on April 16, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by John Salangsang/Variety via Getty Images)
“Love Is Blind” season five participant Tran Dang is suing her ex-fiancé and the show’s production companies. Dang filed a lawsuit against Thomas Smith and Kinetic Content and Delirium TV for sexual assault, false imprisonment, and negligence, per TODAY.
Dang and Smith do not appear in any promotional content or episodes of Netflix’s latest “Love Is Blind” season. However, Dang’s lawsuit says she got engaged to Thomas, and they traveled to Mexico for the standard couple’s trip.
Dang alleges Smith sexually assaulted her in Mexico on or around May 3, 2022. Tran Dang accuses Thomas of “incessantly” grouping her, exposing himself naked, and “forcibly and repeatedly” making “sexual contact” without consent.
Dang allegedly quit the show after multiple attempts to notify producers of her experience. She contacted a lawyer and filed her suit a few months later, on August 16, 2022.
A lawyer for Thomas Smith named Kip Patterson told TODAY.com that the season five participant denies Tran’s allegations.
Tran Dang is seeking financial damages for her “disfigurement,” “mental anguish,” medical expenses and attorney’s fees.
In the documents, Dang alleges the “Love Is Blind” production companies had the couples under “24-hour surveillance,” meaning they supposedly captured “most if not all” of the alleged acts.
However, in a statement, Kinetic Content and Delirium TV deny constant filming.
“We support and stand with victims of sexual assault, but Ms. Dang’s claims against the producers are meritless,” their joint statement said. “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 stated that Dang “never informed the producers of any alleged wrongdoing of any kind,” citing her decision to continue participating in the blind love experiment.
“We take any and all concerns of our participants seriously and prioritize their well-being. Obviously, we cannot address undisclosed concerns. 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,” the statement said, per TODAY.
Meanwhile, Tran Dang says the show’s producers “made attempts to mask” her sexual assault as a “lack of attraction” to Thomas Smith.
“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 separtete appeals to multiply the prceedings we have to wade through before finally trying this case.”
After news of the lawsuit broke, “Love Is Blind” creator Chris Coelen provided a statement to PEOPLE. His words largely echoed those of the production companies. Coelen denied 24-hour filming, likening the series to “a documentary” versus surveillance.
The show creator also denied that Tran reported the alleged sexual assault.
“We would not continue filming with someone who was expressing that an incident of that sort had happened. We have round-the-clock psychologists, a highly trained production team, we have a whole battalion of people who’s 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,” Chris Coelen said.
Coelen also addressed Tran’s claims about “Love Is Blind” producers falsely imprisoning her. Tran alleges she had to seek permission to leave her hotel room, enter another cast member’s room, or hang out in common areas. She also says she had to request permission to use the bathroom in the pods.
“Claiming that you are falsely imprisoned on Love Is Blind is preposterous and ridiculous,” creator Chris said. “You come and go as you choose. You are not required to stay. If you stay, that is your decision,” he continues. “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.”
Coelen also says the bathroom arrangement is due to the complex set-up of their 68,000-square-foot sound stage. Contestants ask for permission to keep them from getting lost, protect “the integrity of the experiment,” and prevent wanderers.
“We will vigorously defend ourselves. I’m not in a position to speculate about what happens with adults on their own time behind closed doors. I want to be really, really clear about that. I’m not saying her allegations of sexual assault are or are not true. I’m not in a position to say that. I’m truly supportive and empathetic of people who make these claims,” Coelen added.
