Love Is Blind Season 5 Participant Files Lawsuit Alleging She Was ‘Forced’ to Stay with ‘Abusive’ Fiancé

Love is blind is facing yet another lawsuit from Season 5 contestants.

Renee Poche, a Season 5 cast member whose storyline was not shown, is suing Netflix and Delirium TV, the production company behind the hit series, for “unlawful employment practices,” as well as “unfair competition” and “intentional infliction of emotional distress.” according to a complaint obtained by PEOPLE.

Poche claims Netflix and Delirium TV set her up with ex-fiancé Carter Wall, whom the complaint describes as a “walking red flag.” Despite voicing her concerns about Wall’s alleged “erratic and alarming behavior and emotional instability,” Poche claims Netflix and Delirium TV “forced” her to participate in the show and continue her involvement with Wall.

After speaking out about her time on the show, Netflix and Delirium TV are now claiming Poche violated an NDA and are seeking $4 million. However, Poche believes the NDA is “illegal and unenforceable,” and is now filing a lawsuit in hopes of being freed from “all forms of liability.”

“My experience at Love is blind it was traumatic,” Poche says in a statement obtained by PEOPLE. “I felt like a prisoner and had no support when I let Delirium know that I didn’t feel safe. I tried to deal with these emotions over time and eventually felt the need to share what happened. I felt it was only right to let others know the truth of what all colleagues had to suffer.”

Representatives for Netflix and Delirium TV did not respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment. PEOPLE has also reached out to Wall for comment.

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Although the production has not yet released a statement, Love is blindCreator Chris Coelen previously spoke to PEOPLE about the second Season 5 lawsuit, where he stressed that the production takes cast member safety seriously, that cast members are always free to walk away from the show — including Season 5, especially with Aaliyah Cosby, Taylor Rue and Jared “JP” Pierce — and the production never interferes with the participants’ relationships.

“On Love is blind … you come and go as you wish. You are not obligated to stay. If you stay, that’s your decision,” Coelen told PEOPLE in October. “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 added: “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… We don’t tell people what to say, what to do, we consistently tell people that this is their journey, this is their life to lead as they want. We’re here to follow it.”

Renee Poche, Paige Tillman, Linda Obi, Maris Prakonekham, Stacy Snyder, Aaliyah Cosby, Erica Anthony and Johnie Maraist in ‘Love Is Blind’ Season 5.

Courtesy of Netflix

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In the complaint, Poche, a veterinarian from Austin, Texas, claims she was “led to believe that participants were selected based on compatibility and marriage potential and were screened through background checks and psychological screenings” after being approached by a casting agent via Instagram.

“The production insisted that all participants had been vetted and were ‘marriage material,'” the complaint states.

After entering the pods, Poche said she had an “argument” with Wall, who she “later found out lied about almost everything,” the complaint said. According to the complaint, at the time of the shooting, Wall was allegedly “unemployed with a negative bank balance, homeless, violent, estranged from his family, and actively addicted to drugs and alcohol.”

“Wall would regularly berate Poche, steal from the set or places they visited, and get others to buy him painkillers and amphetamines,” the complaint states. “Wall was emotionally abusive on and off camera, viciously lied and heavily abused drugs and alcohol.”

Carter Wall.

Cater wall/ Instagram

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Poche also claims in the complaint that the production “was aware of Wall’s mental instability,” and one cameraman even quit his job in Mexico “after Wall physically threatened him.”

“In Houston, production staff warned Poche to ensure that Wall did not have access to firearms or other weapons because they were concerned that he would injure himself, her or others,” the complaint states.

Poche stated in the complaint that she became “extremely terrified of being around him and made her concerns clear to the production team.” Despite this, the vet claims she was “forced to spend long periods of time alone with him” and was told she “would be subject to legal action if she terminated her participation in the Program or otherwise refused to continue her engagement.”

Renee Poche and Carter Wall.

Monty Brinton/Netflix

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After ending her relationship with Wall after filming ended, Poche learned that their story would not be featured in the series. She then began making “some limited public remarks about her harrowing time” on the show.

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Following her comments, Delirium “initiated arbitration against Pocha for alleged breach of her illegal non-disclosure agreement,” according to the suit. The company is now seeking $4 million in infringement after Poche earned just $8,000 from her performances, according to the complaint.

Poche believes that the agreement was “illegal and unenforceable” and is now asking the court for “release” from “any form of liability”.

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Source: HIS Education