A Love Is Blind Season 5 cast member is suing the production companies behind the hit Netflix dating show. Tran Dang alleges that her then-fiancé, Thomas Smith, sexually assaulted her while filming and that producers did nothing to intervene, according to a suit filed in Harris County District Court against Kinetic Content, Delirium TV, and Smith. Dang’s suit also alleges false imprisonment and negligence.  

Tran Dang was part of the ‘Love Is Blind’ Season 5 cast, but not featured on the show 

Dang was part of a group of Houston singles who signed on for Love Is Blind’s fifth season. However, neither she nor Smith are featured in the season 5 episodes currently streaming on Netflix. Nor were they part of the official cast list shared by Netflix. 

According to Dang’s lawsuit, she traveled to California in April 2022 to film in the infamous Love Is Blind pods. After she and Smith got engaged, they flew to Mexico, where filming continued. While in Mexico, Dang claims that Smith groped her and exposed himself while nude. He also “forcibly and repeatedly made sexual contact … without her consent,” per the filing, which was obtained by Deadline. 

Dang says she reported the assault to producers, but that they downplayed her concerns. Instead, they “made attempts to mask Plaintiff’s sexual assault by characterizing it as a lack of attraction on part of the Plaintiff.” Producers also “questioned whether the problem was really one of communication and swept aside her concerns.”

Because of the “24-hour surveillance” of cast members by producers, “most if not all of these traumatic acts were filmed by the production crew and within their knowledge,” Dang’s suit claims. 

‘Love Is Blind’ producers deny Tran Dang’s claims 

In an interview with People, Love Is Blind creator Chris Coelen disputed Dang’s claims against the show’s producers. He said the production team 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 said. “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.”

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Coelen also pushed back against Dang’s false imprisonment claims, calling them “preposterous.” Several other season 5 cast members did leave the show early, including Aaliyah Cosby and Taylor Rue. 

“You come and go as you choose,” Coelen said. “You are not required to stay. If you stay, that is your decision.”

In a joint statement to People, Kinetic and Delirium TV said they “support and stand with victims of sexual assault.” However, they said Dang’s claims were “meritless.” 

“We document the independent choices of adults who volunteer to participate in a social experiment,” the statement read. “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.”

Smith’s attorney told Variety that his client denies the allegations against him.

How to get help: In the U.S., call the RAINN National Sexual Assault Telephone Hotline at 1-800-656-4673 to connect with a trained staff member from a sexual assault service provider in your area. 

Source: Variety