Love is blindCreator Chris Coelen has spoken out after a Season 5 contestant sued the production company behind his series over claims of assault, false imprisonment and negligence.
Tran Dang, who filmed for season 5 but does not appear in episodes, is suing production company Kinetic Content after she claims she was sexually assaulted on set by her ex-fiancé and Kinetic allegedly did nothing to prevent it, according to a complaint filed by got PEOPLE. In the lawsuit, Dang also claimed that she was falsely imprisoned during filming and that the producers acted negligently.
Since her initial filing, Dang has also sued production company Delirium TV, which Kinetic claimed “transferred responsibility for filming the relevant season love is blind” according to the documents.
“The producers are throwing money at the problem by spending an inordinate amount of money on losing legal positions that only delay the parties from getting their day in court. They lost on three different legal issues in the trial court and then filed three separate appeals multiplying the procedures we have to go through before than finally bringing this case forward,” Dang’s attorney Benjamin W. Allen of Wallace & Allen LLP tells PEOPLE in an emailed statement. “But we’re confident that Ms. Dang’s position will be vindicated when we get there and we’re committed to seeing it through. We have to hold the producers of the show accountable. We have an ethical duty to our client to do that, but also feel a moral obligation to the next generation reality show participants.”
In his first statement regarding the news, Coelen spoke to PEOPLE and says he supports people who come forward about being sexually assaulted, but insists that the production “was never told that she felt unsafe or experienced any of the allegations she made. ”
“If anyone 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,” he says. “Unfortunately, in this case, that kind of sentiment was never directed at us in any way, nor was any alleged wrongdoing ever brought to our attention.”
Coelen also calls Dang’s false claims of closure “preposterous,” since contestants are always free to leave the show, as has been done in the past with previous cast members and most recently this season with Aaliyah Cosby, Taylor Rue and Jared “JP.” Pierce.
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Kinetic Content, LLC and Delirium TV, LLC also echoed those words in a joint statement to PEOPLE.
“We support and stand with the victims of sexual assault, but Ms. Dang’s claims against the producers are baseless. We document the independent choices of adults who voluntarily participate in a social experiment. Their journey is not scripted or filmed for an hour. We have no knowledge or control over what happens in private living spaces when not filming, and participants can choose to end their journey at any time,” read their statement.
“We take every concern of our participants seriously and prioritize their well-being. Obviously, we cannot address hidden issues, and throughout the entire time Ms. Dang has been involved in the production of Love is Blind, she has never informed the film’s producers of any alleged wrongdoing of any kind . Nor did she choose to end her participation in the experiment. Instead, Ms. Dang continued the experiment weeks after the time her lawyers now claim the incident occurred. We deny and will vigorously defend the allegations against us,” it concluded.
According to the complaint, Dang says Kinetic’s casting team “aggressively recruited” her to appear in Season 5. Although she “didn’t ask to participate”, she eventually agreed to join the series.
During filming, the lawsuit alleges, the actors were “deliberately confined for two weeks” in the pods, without the use of cellphones, passports, wallets or communication devices.
“During multiple days of filming in multiple locations, including Houston, [Kinetic Content and Delirium TV] provided crew members with alcohol—but limited food,” the lawsuit alleges. “This combination was designed to encourage them to engage in engaging conversations and actions that would increase ratings. While you are on set, up to 18 hours a day, [Kinetic Content and Delirium TV] required Ms. Dang to ask permission to do almost everything, including using the restroom. She was not allowed to leave the hotel room without express permission and was kept under 24-hour surveillance.”
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Speaking about these allegations, Coelen says they are “absolutely false”.
“These claims are 100 percent false and defamatory. They are not true in any way…we do not force alcohol. Everyone has consistent and regular access to food and water,” he says, noting that participants only need to inform them about using the restroom while in the pods. due to the confusing layout of the set and the possibility of interfering with the experiment.
“They’re in capsules 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 move from place to place,” he explains. “Because of that, and because we want to protect the integrity of the experiment, we don’t want them wandering around and wandering in on their own [the other sex’s] living quarters, because people are sometimes tempted to do that – we want to avoid that.”
“So, if they need to go to the toilet, they tell us and we have someone escort them to the toilet,” he adds. “That’s how it works in the pods. When they’re out of the pods, they can go to the bathroom whenever they want.”
During her time in the pods, Dang became engaged to colleague Thomas Smith, according to the lawsuit. (Neither Dang nor Smith were listed as participants when Netflix announced the cast for season five in September.)
The two then flew to Mexico, where Dang allegedly was sexually assaulted by Smith on May 3, 2022, while filming was underway. In response to the allegations, Smith’s attorney Kip Patterson tells PEOPLE not to comment on ongoing litigation.
“Smith, and without Ms. Dang’s consent, forcibly groped her, exposed himself naked and repeatedly made sexual contact despite her express objection,” the complaint states, noting that “due to [Kinetic Content and Delirium TV’s] 24-hour surveillance by cast members, most, if not all, of these traumatic acts were likely caught on film.”
The complaint said Dang “is not a very assertive person” and “was confused that no one intervened to stop the harassment.” She allegedly reported the incident, but according to the lawsuit, she had an assistant producer “lash out at her, implying that she was to blame for what happened with Thomas Smith because she didn’t communicate effectively or somehow didn’t take the ‘relationship’ seriously.”
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Dang also alleged that Smith harassed her during a May 14 phone call in Houston. This alleged incident resulted in Smith calling the producers and “complaining about reporting his behavior,” according to the lawsuit. Also in Houston, Dang claimed that she was unable to go anywhere freely and that “her movements were constantly tracked by a ‘wrangler’.”
After several alleged attempts to inform the producers of her experience, Dang decided to leave the series, but claims she was told she had to film a “last scene”, in which the producers added lines to her. “Following this horrific experience, Ms. Dang consulted with an attorney,” the lawsuit states.
However, Coelen insists that Danga’s claims are not true, as the production does not film all day, she allegedly did not raise the issue regarding the attack and they do not interfere with what the participants say on the show.
“She made no allegation of any assault,” he says. “We wouldn’t continue filming with someone who was saying that there was an incident of that nature. We have psychologists working 24 hours a day, a highly trained production team, we have a whole battalion of people whose job it is to make sure that our priority is the well-being of our participant. But the participant has to be actively involved in that process.”
“Claiming you were falsely imprisoned Love is blind is absurd and ridiculous. You come and go as you choose. You are not obligated to stay. If you stay, that’s your decision,” he continues. “Participants are not under our control. They live their lives. We go in, record them for a while, leave. They can leave – as many, many, many people have before – whenever they want.”
Coelen adds: “And we don’t film around the clock. We don’t put cameras in their personal living spaces. We don’t do that. We’re like a documentary. They’re alone during the period, they’re not under surveillance. We don’t tell people what to say, what to do, we consistently we tell people that this is their journey, this is their life to lead as they wish. We are here to follow it.”
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Chris Coelen, creator of the film ‘Love is blind’. Charley Gallay/Getty
After the suit was filed, Dang alleged that Kinetic Content responded with a separate subpoena, claiming he was a non-resident and that all filming and filming was done by Delirium TV, according to the suit. Dang claimed that this action was “done in bad faith” and resulted in her seeking sanctions, and Kinetic Content subsequently filed a TCPA motion to dismiss.
A Texas state judge ultimately rejected the claims Kinetic Content appealed, according to the lawsuit. In a filing filed in August, Kinetic Content argued that it was within its rights to file a special appearance and TCPA motion, alleging that Dang is “threatening” and “harassing” the companies as they try to defend themselves against her claims.
Kinetic Content, meanwhile, was granted an extension to respond to Dang’s response on Tuesday.
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Of the ongoing litigation, Coelen says: “We’re going to defend ourselves vigorously. I’m not in a position to speculate about what happens to adults when they’re behind closed doors. I want to be really, really clear about that. I’m not saying her allegations are about sexual abuse being true or not true. I’m not in a position to say that. I really support and sympathize with people who make such claims.”
“But what I will say is that her accusations against us are completely nonsensical. The reason for that is because I’m incredibly empathetic and I understand that sometimes it’s hard for people to talk about these issues, if no one comes forward and informs us of a concern or a request, we literally can’t nothing to do,” he adds. “I invite people, whether it’s on our show or any show, or honestly, in life, if you’re in an uncomfortable situation, if you’re in a situation where you feel unsafe or where you feel like something has happened along the lines of what is listed in this lawsuit, you should rely on a support system and speak up.”
“I’m really very confident about that,” he adds. “We strongly encourage people to speak up, but we can’t be held accountable if someone doesn’t tell us they have a problem. Those two things can coexist.”
The first seven episodes Love is blind season 5 is now streaming on Netflix. New episodes are released on Friday.
If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or go to rainn.org.
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