[Warning: Potentially Triggering Content]
Love Is Blind contestant Renee Poche has filed a massive new lawsuit against Netflix and the show’s production company, Delirium TV!
Viewers of the reality show might not remember Renee too much because despite going through the engagement process, pretty much all of her romantic storyline was cut from the show. And it turns out there was an allegedly incredibly problematic reason for that!
In a new lawsuit obtained by The US Sun on Wednesday, the star accused producers of knowingly pairing her with a mentally unstable and allegedly abusive match — AKA Carter Wall. She claims she and Carter initially hit it off — until she discovered he was lying and had secret personal issues, such as being unemployed, addicted to drugs and alcohol, estranged from his family, homeless, and violent. Wow.
Related: Nigel Lythgoe Hit With Second Sexual Assault Lawsuit!
Renee believes he should never have been allowed on the show, noting that all castmates have to undergo an extensive background check before making it on-screen. This is when she thinks producers should have learned about Wall’s issues. And, TBH, it is shocking they didn’t flag any of these concerns during the casting process! Because of this, Renee was put in an allegedly unsafe position with him.
After getting engaged, the pair went to Mexico with the cast, where things really took a turn for the worse. The cast member accused her ex of being emotionally abusive ON and off camera, heavily using drugs and alcohol, and physically threatening a camera operator while at the resort. Despite being terrified to be around Carter, producers allegedly still forced her to film scenes with him for long periods of time and even left her ALONE with him! WTF.
Just as horrifying, Renee accused the producers of threatening her with legal action if she did not proceed with the engagement. Jeez. Because of this, she returned to Carter’s hometown in Texas with him — and producers were well aware of how unstable he was because they allegedly warned Renee to make sure he didn’t have access to firearms or weapons because they feared he would hurt her or himself. Why in the world did they let her be alone with him then?!? So scary!
Of course, we never saw much of the pair during the season – and that’s because she was told they were not going to make the cut at the end of the show, alleging it was because her partner had threatened to commit suicide if the footage aired. Yikes.
Renee has since cut ties with Carter and has even been outspoken about the ordeal. She appeared on the Out of the Pods podcast back in October where she touched on some of this scandal — and it resulted in her getting slammed with a $4 million lawsuit by Delirium TV, who claims she violated her nondisclosure agreement. And here’s where this controversy gets really interesting from a legal standpoint.
While fighting back, she claimed she was only paid $8,000 for her appearance on the show (minuscule compared to what they’re now asking for) and is requesting the court to invalidate the NDA and release her from the she has with the production company and streamer. The suit, filed in Los Angeles Superior Court, also makes allegations of intentional infliction of emotional distress along with violations of various California labor and civic codes. According to her lawyers, Bryan Freedman and Mark Geragos, who spoke with Variety, Renee is essentially trying to prove that “these so-called reality TV contracts are, in reality, illegal,” Freedman declared, adding:
“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.”
Renee also told the outlet:
“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. 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.”
If you recognize her lawyers names, its because they are the same attorneys Bethenny Frankel convinced to join in on her “reality reckoning” fight and who launched a case against NBC and Bravo. So, her case is part of a larger mission to clean up this sector of the entertainment industry. And if she should win and her contract is deemed unenforceable, it would create shockwaves in the industry, so there’s a lot riding on this!
Interestingly, she’s not the only LIB cast member from Season 5 engaged in a legal battle against the show either. Tran Dang, a castmate who wasn’t shown in the season, is suing Delirium and Kinetic Content (not Netflix) for sexual assault, false imprisonment, and negligence. This goes to show there are seemingly some big issues behind the scenes of the dating show! And we hope they get addressed ASAP!
Right now, the defendants have not responded to the claims. It’ll be interesting to see how this all shakes out. Thoughts? Let us know (below)!
If you or someone you know is contemplating suicide, help is available. Consider contacting the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988, by calling, texting, or chatting, or go to 988lifeline.org.
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