In a lawsuit, Tran Dang, who was initially cast to appear in season 5 of the show, accuses the production company behind the show of assault, false imprisonment and negligence.
- Oct 7, 2023
AceShowbiz - "Love Is Blind" creator Chris Coelen has responded to a lawsuit by a former contestant named Tran Dang who accused the production company behind the show of assault, false imprisonment and negligence. In a statement to PEOPLE, Coelen claimed that he was never made aware of such an incident on the set of the Netflix series.
Coelen stated that he supports people who came forward about sexual assault. However, he insisted that production was "never told that she felt unsafe or experienced any of the allegations that she made."
"If anybody 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 told the publication. "Unfortunately, in this case, that kind of sentiment was never addressed to us in any way, nor was any alleged wrongdoing brought to our attention ever."
"She did not make any kind of claim of assault of any kind," he added. "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."
Additionally, Coelen commented on Dang's false imprisonment claim, calling it "preposterous." The creator pointed out that cast members are always allowed to exit the show like Aaliyah Cosby, Taylor Rue and Jared Pierce a.k.a. JP did this season.
"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 noted.
He further argued, "And we are not filming around the clock. We are not mounting cameras in their personal living spaces. We don't do that. We're like a documentary. They are alone during periods of times, they are not under surveillance. We do not 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 choose. We're there to follow it."
Coelen also denied allegations that the production pushed alcohol to the cast during filming. "Those allegations are 100 percent false and defamatory. It's not true in any way ... we don't push alcohol. Everyone has consistent and regular access to food and water," he said.
"In the pods, they're on a 68,000-square-foot sound stage, 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 get around from place to place," he went on saying. "Because of that, and because we want to protect the integrity of the experiment, we do not want them wandering around by themselves, and wandering over into [the other sex's] living quarters, because sometimes people are tempted to do that - we want to avoid that."
He further explained, "So if they need to go to the bathroom, they tell us and we have someone escort them to the bathroom. That is how it works in the pods. When they are out of the pods, they can go to the bathroom whenever they want."
Coelen also claimed in his statement that "we will vigorously defend ourselves." While showing support for people coming forward with sexual harassment allegations, he noted that "her allegations against us are completely meritless."
Kinetic Content, LLC and Delirium TV, LLC also spoke out against the allegations in a joint statement, which read, "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."
The statement continued, "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."
In her lawsuit, Dang alleged that she was "aggressively recruited" by Kinetic's casting team to appear in season 5. She eventually agreed to join the show despite not seeking involvement. She also got engaged to fellow participant Thomas Smith, who sexually assaulted her on May 3, 2022 after they flew to Mexico while filming was ongoing.
"Smith, and without Ms. Dang's consent, forcefully groped her, exposed himself in the nude, and repeatedly made sexual contact over her express objections," the complaint read. It also added that "because of [Kinetic Content and Delirium TV's] 24-hour surveillance of cast members, most, if not all, of these traumatic acts were likely captured on film."
Dang claimed in the complaint that as she's "not a very assertive person," she "was baffled that no one had intervened to stop the harassment." When she decided to report the incident, an assistant producer "gaslighted her, implying that she was at fault for what had happened with Thomas Smith by not communicating effectively or somehow not taking the 'relationship' seriously."
Dang also alleged that Thomas harassed her during a May 14 phone call in Houston. He also complained to producers about Dang reporting his behavior. Dang eventually decided to quit the show after attempting to notify producers about her experience. However, she was then told to film a "final scene" where she was fed lines by producers. That prompted Dang to consult with an attorney "after this horrific experience."
