A contestant on Love Is Blind has sued the producers of the Netflix reality series. The contestant alleged that the production did not pay wages and operated under “inhumane working conditions.” The class action suit was filed in the California Superior Court on Monday. It has named Netflix and producers Kinetic Content and Delirium TV as the defendants.
Love is Blind’s Stephen Richardson sues Netflix producers over unpaid wages
In a rather surprising twist, Stephen Richardson, a contestant on the seventh season of Love Is Blind, has filed a proposed class action lawsuit against Netflix, Kinetic Content, and Delirium TV for unpaid wages and inhuman working conditions.
The lawsuit alleges that Richardson and other cast members were “willfully misclassified” as “independent contractors.” It also states that their employers exercised excessive control over their work schedules and methods. This control, according to the lawsuit, should make them eligible for protection under California law. The lawsuit also claimed that the production kept the contestants in “unsafe” working conditions. It also restricted them from communicating with the outside world.
It is not yet clear what the suit is seeking in damages.
This is not the first lawsuit that Love Is Blind has faced. Previously, Renee Poche sued the makers of the show for intentional infliction of emotional distress. Poche also claimed that the show violated California labor codes.
Poche, however, ended up on the wrong side of the proceedings because she broke the non-disclosure agreement. In Richardson’s suit, he alleged that he was forced to sign a similar NDA, which would require him to pay nearly $100,000 for breaches.
This lawsuit adds to ongoing concerns about the reputation of reality TV shows, as it highlights allegations of exploitative practices. The debate has persisted for some time, with several similar instances reported in the past.
Netflix and Kinetic are yet to respond to the lawsuit, as per Variety.
Originally reported by Sourav Chakraborty on ComingSoon.
