Love Is Blind contestant accuses Netflix of "prisoner" treatment in new lawsuit
A former Love Is Blind contestant is suing Netflix and production company Delirium TV, accusing the showmakers of treating her "like a prisoner".
Renee Poche, who appeared as a contestant on the fifth season of the reality show, described her experience as "traumatic".
According to a suit she has filed (via Variety), at the very beginning of production the show's staff took away her phone, passport and driver's licence.
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Poche also claims that fellow contestant Carter Wall, whom she got engaged to in the pods before the pair split after the show, was abusive towards her both on and off camera.
The suit says that Wall was given a spot on the series despite being allegedly broke, jobless, unhoused, which comes amid the show's purported thorough vetting.
“My experience on Love Is Blind was traumatic,” Poche told Variety. “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 like I needed to share what had happened. I felt it was only right to let others know the truth of what all of the castmates had to endure.”
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She added: “I believe Delirium is trying to silence the abuse that occurs behind the cameras and ruin me for telling the truth.”
Poche originally made a few public remarks about her negative experience on the show, which led Delirium to start private arbitration against her for allegedly breaching a nondisclosure agreement.
The company is reportedly seeking $4 million from her, which has now led her to file her suit against the companies as she looks to nullify her contract and is claiming intentional infliction of emotional distress, including violation of numerous Californian labour and civic codes.
“These so-called reality TV contracts are, in reality, illegal,” Poche's lawyer Bryan Freedman said. “They are designed for an illegal purpose and are void as a matter of law. We have hundreds of clients who are ready to assert their claims.”
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He added: “Renee’s contract protects Delirium and Netflix from liability for future intentional misconduct and includes ruinous penalties in the millions of dollars for participants who dare to speak out about the unsafe working conditions on set.
“It is, in sum, a license to wreak emotional and financial havoc all while profiting for an eternity. For years, the studios, production companies, and networks have wielded these contracts as both a sword and a shield, in a conspiracy to ensure silence from those who know the truth. This is exactly what Bethenny Frankel was referring to when she selflessly shined the light on these illegal practices.”
Alongside Poche, fellow season 5 contestant Tran Dang is suing Delirium and Kinetic Content for alleged sexual assault, false imprisonment and negligence, though is not looking to break her contract like Poche.
Digital Spy has reached out to Netflix for comment.
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