“Love Is Blind” Creator Speaks Out After Participant Sues for Sexual Assault, False Imprisonment (Exclusive)
'Love Is Blind' creator Chris Coelen exclusively tells PEOPLE that he supports people coming forward about sexual assault, but insists production was "never told that she felt unsafe or experienced any of the allegations that she made"
Love Is Blind's creator Chris Coelen is speaking out after a season 5 participant sued the production company behind his show over claims of assault, false imprisonment and negligence.
Tran Dang, who filmed for season 5 but is not featured in the episodes, is suing production company Kinetic Content after claiming she was sexually assaulted on set by her former fiancé and Kinetic allegedly did nothing to stop it, according to a complaint obtained by PEOPLE. In the suit, Dang also claimed she was falsely imprisoned while filming and producers acted with negligence.
Since her initial filing, Dang has also sued production company Delirium TV, which Kinetic alleged that it "delegated responsibility for shooting the relevant season of Love Is Blind," per the docs.
"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 separate appeals to multiply the proceedings we have to wade through before finally trying this case," Dang's attorney Benjamin W. Allen of Wallace & Allen LLP tells PEOPLE in a statement via email. "But we are confident that Ms. Dang's position will be vindicated once we get there and are committed to seeing it through all of the way. We have to hold the show producers accountable. We have an ethical duty to our client to do so, but also feel a moral obligation to the next generation of reality show participants."
In his first statement regarding the news, Coelen speaks out to PEOPLE and says he supports people coming forward about sexual assault, but insists 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 says. "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."
Coelen also calls Dang's false imprisonment claims "preposterous," as participants are always free to walk away from the show, like what has been done in the past with previous cast members and most recently, in this season with Aaliyah Cosby, Taylor Rue and Jared “JP” Pierce.
Kinetic Content, LLC and Delirium TV, LLC also echoed those words in a joint statement to PEOPLE.
"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," their statement reads.
"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," it concludes.
According to the complaint, Dang says she was "aggressively recruited" by Kinetic's casting team to appear on season 5. Though she "did not seek involvement," she eventually agreed to join the show.
During filming, the suit alleges the cast was "intentionally sequestered for two weeks" in the pods, without use of their cell phones, passports, wallets, or communicative devices.
"Over multiple days of filming in multiple venues, including Houston, [Kinetic Content and Delirium TV] provided the cast members with alcohol—but limited food," the lawsuit reads. "This combination was designed to encourage them to engage in striking conversations and actions that would increase viewer ratings. While on set, for up to 18 hours per day, [Kinetic Content and Delirium TV] required Ms. Dang to request permission to do virtually anything, including use the restroom. She was prohibited from leaving her hotel room without express permission and kept under 24-hour surveillance."
Related: 'Love Is Blind' Alum Jeremy Hartwell Accuses Show of 'Inhumane Working Conditions' in New Lawsuit
Addressing these allegations, Coelen says they are "absolutely false."
"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 says, noting that participants are only required to notify them about using the restroom while they are in the pods due to the confusing layout of set and potential to disrupt the experiment.
"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 explains. "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."
"So if they need to go to the bathroom, they tell us and we have someone escort them to the bathroom," he adds. "That is how it works in the pods. When they are out of the pods, they can go to the bathroom whenever they want."
During her time in the pods, Dang got engaged to fellow participant Thomas Smith, according to the lawsuit. (Neither Dang nor Smith were listed as participants when the season 5 cast was announced by Netflix in September.)
The two then flew to Mexico, where Dang alleges she was sexually assaulted by Smith on May 3, 2022, while filming was going on. In response to the allegations, Smith's attorney Kip Patterson tells PEOPLE that they do not comment on ongoing litigation.
"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 reads, noting 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."
The complaint notes that Dang is "not a very assertive person" and "was baffled that no one had intervened to stop the harassment." She allegedly reported the incident, but according to the suit, had an assistant producer who "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 claimed that Smith harassed her during a May 14 phone call in Houston. This alleged incident resulted in Smith calling producers and "complaining that she had reported his behavior," per the suit. Also in Houston, Dang alleged that she was unable to go anywhere freely and "her movements were continuously monitored by a 'wrangler.'"
After multiple alleged attempts to notify producers about her experience, Dang decided to quit the show, but claims she was told she had to film a "final scene," in which she was fed lines by producers. "After this horrific experience, Ms. Dang consulted with an attorney," the lawsuit states.
However, Coelen insists that Dang's claims are not true, as production does not film all day, she allegedly did not raise an issue regarding the assault and they don't interfere with what participants say on the show.
"She did not make any kind of claim of assault of any kind," he says. "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."
"Claiming that you are falsely imprisoned on Love Is Blind is preposterous and ridiculous. 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 adds, "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."
After filing the suit, Dang claimed Kinetic Content responded with a special appearance motion, claiming it is a nonresident and that all the filming and shooting was performed by Delirium TV, per the suit. Dang alleged this action was "made in bad faith" and resulted in her seeking sanctions for, with Kinetic Content subsequently filing a TCPA motion to dismiss.
A Texas state judge eventually denied the motions which prompted Kinetic Content to appeal, according to the suit. In a brief filed in August, Kinetic Content argued it was within its rights to file the special appearance and TCPA motion, claiming Dang has been "threatening" and "bullying" the companies while they are attempting to defend themselves against her claims.
Kinetic Content has since been granted an extension to reply to Dang's reply on Tuesday.
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Of the ongoing litigation, Coelen says, "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."
"But what I will say is her allegations against us are completely meritless. The reason is because while I am incredibly empathetic and understanding that sometimes it is difficult for people to speak up about these issues, if no one comes forward to inform us of a concern or a claim, there's literally nothing we can do about it," he adds. "I urge people, whether it's on our show or any show, or frankly, in life, if you are in an uncomfortable situation, if you are in a situation where you feel unsafe or where you feel that something has happened in line with what is alleged in this suit, you should lean on the support system and speak up."
"I really feel strongly about that," he adds. "We strongly encourage people to speak out but we can't be accountable if someone doesn't tell us that they have a concern. Those two things can mutually coexist."
The first seven episodes of Love Is Blind season 5 are now streaming on Netflix. New episodes drop Friday.
If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, please contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or go to rainn.org.
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