“Love Is Blind” season 5 contestant sues Netflix, production company: 'I felt like a prisoner'

Renee Poche, who filmed season 5 but was barely shown on screen, is seeking for her contract to be nullified.

Another Love Is Blind contestant is launching a legal battle against the Netflix series.

Season 5 contestant Renee Poche, who filmed the reality dating experiment but was barely shown on screen, is suing both Netflix and production company Delirium TV after what she claims was a "traumatic" experience during filming. In a complaint filed Tuesday in Los Angeles Superior Court and obtained by EW, Poche's lawyers Bryan Freedman and Mark Geragos are seeking to nullify her contract after Delirium initiated private arbitration against her for allegedly violating her nondisclosure agreement.

Poche, a veterinarian from Texas, was recruited for the series via Instagram by a casting agent in November 2021. After going through a lengthy interview process, she joined the Love Is Blind season 5 cast of 15 women and 15 men, which began filming in April 2022. But Poche says her issues began almost immediately: The complaint alleges that production staff took her phone, passport, and driver's license on the first night and kept her locked in her hotel room, making her feel "like a prisoner."

Poche ended up in an onscreen relationship with fellow cast member Carter Wall, described in the suit as a "walking red flag" who was allegedly "unemployed with a negative balance in his bank account, homeless, violent, estranged from his family, and actively addicted to drugs and alcohol." The complaint also alleges that Wall was violent throughout production, "regularly berated Poche," and "was emotionally abusive on and off camera," among other things. Still, Poche, who was "was utterly terrified of Wall," was forced to spend long stretches of time alone with him, according to the complaint.

Poche ended her relationship with Wall once filming was over, and spoke publicly about her negative experiences on the show. In November 2023, Delirium initiated private arbitration against Poche for allegedly violating her nondisclosure agreement, seeking $4 million from her. The suit says that Poche earned $8,000 from her time filming Love Is Blind.

"My experience on Love is Blind was traumatic. I felt like a prisoner and had no support when I let Delirium know that I didn’t feel safe," Poche told Variety, which first reported the lawsuit. "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 cast mates had to endure."

She added, "I believe Delirium is trying to silence the abuse that occurs behind the cameras and ruin me for telling the truth."

Netflix, Delirium, and Wall did not immediately respond to EW's request for comment Wednesday.

Poche's lawsuit is part of Freedman and Geragos' larger efforts to take on the reality TV industry. The pair have been working with former Real Housewives star Bethenny Frankel since July to fight for better reality TV workplace conditions, with the lawyers now representing several hundred reality stars and crew members with lawsuits claiming everything from false imprisonment to sexual violence.

"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," Freedman said in a statement to EW.

Love Is Blind is currently facing a lawsuit from another season 5 contestant. Tran Dang previously sued producers Delirium and Kinetic Content for alleged sexual assault, false imprisonment, and negligence, claiming that she was sexually assaulted on set by her former castmate and fiancé, Thomas Smith, and that the production company allegedly did nothing to stop it. However, she is not seeking to nullify her contract as Poche is.

Sign up for Entertainment Weekly's free daily newsletter to get breaking TV news, exclusive first looks, recaps, reviews, interviews with your favorite stars, and more.

Related content:

• Love Is Blind creator speaks out against new lawsuit alleging sexual assault on set

• Love Is Blind's Aaliyah on whether she thinks Lydia secretly planned to reunite with Uche

• Love Is Blind's Taylor breaks down 'hurtful' fight with JP over her appearance

• Love Is Blind showrunner explains why they sometimes cast people who don't live in the same city
  

Read the original article on Entertainment Weekly.