'Love Is Blind' Creator Reacts To Sexual Assault Lawsuit From S5

“Love Is Blind” season 5 participant Tran Dang is suing her ex-fiancé and the present’s manufacturing firms. Dang filed a lawsuit in opposition to Thomas Smith and Kinetic Content and Delirium TV for sexual assault, false imprisonment, and negligence, per TODAY.

Dang and Smith don’t seem in any promotional content material or episodes of Netflix’s newest “Love Is Blind” season. However, Dang’s lawsuit says she obtained engaged to Thomas, they usually traveled to Mexico for the usual couple’s journey.

Dang alleges Smith sexually assaulted her in Mexico on or round May 3, 2022. Tran Dang accuses Thomas of “incessantly” grouping her, exposing himself bare, and “forcibly and repeatedly” making “sexual contact” with out consent.

Dang allegedly stop the present after a number of makes an attempt to inform producers of her expertise. She contacted a lawyer and filed her swimsuit a couple of months later, on August 16, 2022.

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A lawyer for Thomas Smith named Kip Patterson informed TODAY.com that the season 5 participant denies Tran’s allegations.

Tran Dang is in search of monetary damages for her “disfigurement,” “mental anguish,” medical bills and lawyer’s charges.

“Love Is Blind” Production Companies React To The Lawsuit

In the paperwork, Dang alleges the “Love Is Blind” manufacturing firms had the {couples} beneath “24-hour surveillance,” that means they supposedly captured “most if not all” of the alleged acts.

However, in an announcement, Kinetic Content and Delirium TV deny fixed filming.

“We support and stand with victims of sexual assault, but Ms. Dang’s claims against the producers are meritless,” their joint assertion mentioned. “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 firms additionally acknowledged that Dang “never informed the producers of any alleged wrongdoing of any kind,” citing her determination to proceed taking part within 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 assertion mentioned, per TODAY.

Meanwhile, Tran Dang says the present’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.”

“Love Is Blind” Creator Chris Coelen Says Tran Dang “Did Not Make Any Claim Of Sexual Assault”

After information of the lawsuit broke, “Love Is Blind” creator Chris Coelen offered an announcement to PEOPLE. His phrases largely echoed these of the manufacturing firms. Coelen denied 24-hour filming, likening the collection to “a documentary” versus surveillance.

The present creator additionally 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 mentioned.

Coelen additionally addressed Tran’s claims about “Love Is Blind” producers falsely imprisoning her. Tran alleges she needed to search permission to go away her resort room, enter one other solid member’s room, or hand around in widespread areas. She additionally says she needed to request permission to make use of the toilet within the pods.

“Claiming that you are falsely imprisoned on Love Is Blind is preposterous and ridiculous,” creator Chris mentioned. “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 additionally says the toilet association is as a result of complicated set-up of their 68,000-square-foot sound stage. Contestants ask for permission to maintain them from getting misplaced, shield “the integrity of the experiment,” and stop 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.