By Shahana Yasmin

Copyright independent

Former Love is Blind participant Stephen Richardson has sued the producers of the Netflix dating reality series, alleging they subjected him and other cast members to “unsafe and inhumane working conditions”.

The proposed class action suit, filed in California superior court on Monday, names Netflix and producers Kinetic Content and Delirium TV as defendants.

The suit alleges Richardson and other cast members were “wilfully misclassified as independent contractors” and that the production team exercised “substantial and excessive control over the manner, means, and timing of the work performed” by them.

This, the suit argues, entitles them to protections under California law, particularly related to minimum wage and overtime pay, according to Deadline.

Richardson, who was engaged to Monica Davis in season seven but broke up before they made it to the altar, proposes his suit include anyone who signed the contracts within four years of his filing.

The suit adds that production created “unsafe and inhumane working conditions” by maintaining “excessive control over virtually every aspect of the lives of their shows’ cast, including exerting complete domination over their time, schedule, and their ability to eat, drink, and sleep, and communicate with the outside world during the period of employment”.

It adds that cast members were regularly provided “alcoholic beverages, soft drinks, energy drinks and mixers” but “hydrating drinks such as water” were “strictly limited” during the day.

The cast was encouraged “to consume alcohol throughout the entire day and were plied with an unlimited amount of alcohol without meaningful or regular access to appropriate food and water to moderate their inevitable drunkenness”, the lawsuit alleges.

This, the lawsuit says, was done to “maintain a heightened degree of control and direct the conduct of the cast into making manipulated decisions for the benefit of the shows’ entertainment value”.

Kinetic Content and Delirium TV denied the allegations in a joint statement responding to the suit, calling it “meritless”.

The Independent has contacted Netflix and Kinetic Content for comment. Delirium TV could not be reached.

In January last year, season five cast member Renee Poche filed a lawsuit against the production companies, seeking to nullify her non-disclosure contract and claiming intentional infliction of emotional distress as well as violations of various California labour and civic codes.

She claimed that production took her phone, passport and driver’s license on the first night of filming and kept her locked in a hotel room.

Poche, whose storyline was not followed on the show, ended up engaged to Carter Wall. She later gave several interviews talking about her terrible experience on the show and especially with Wall.

In response, the producers initiated arbitration proceedings seeking $4m from Poche for violating her non-disclosure agreement by speaking publicly about her experience on the show.

The arbitration proceedings are ongoing.

Wall has made no public statement about Poche’s allegations.

Richardson’s suit notes that he too will have to pay $97,529 for violating his contract by coming out with his allegations.

Netflix and the two production companies were also sued in 2022 by season two participant Jeremy Hartwell, who claimed the cast was paid a flat rate of $1,000 a week despite working up to 20 hours a day and seven days a week.

Hartwell alleged that the production’s “isolation” was intense and claimed that the Netflix cast was left alone for hours on end “with no access to a phone, food or any other type of contact with the outside world”.

Kinetic Content’s CEO said at the time that production was “transparent” from the beginning about what filming would entail, adding that Thompson’s claims of being held “prisoner” were “insane”.

“We tell them that they won’t be able to travel freely while they’re in the pods,” the CEO said.

“We tell them they won’t have phones or TV or internet service in the pods or in their hotel rooms where they stay or in the romantic getaways.”

Netflix ended up settling the suit in November 2024 for $1.4m.

In 2023, season five contestant Tran Dang sued the production companies and Netflix claiming she was sexually assaulted by former fiancé Thomas Smith during filming. The pair got engaged during the show but did not feature in any of the episodes.

Dang alleged that Smith “incessantly groped” her, “exposed himself in the nude”, and forcibly and repeatedly made sexual contact without her consent.

Her filing added that “due to Delirium TV and Kinetic Content’s 24-hour surveillance of Plaintiff and Defendant Smith, most if not all of these traumatic acts were filmed by the production crew and within their knowledge”, and contained similar language to Richardson’s suit about production providing contestants with “several alcoholic beverages,” while “providing limited amounts of food”.

The producers and Smith, via his lawyer, denied the allegations.

In December 2024, the US National Labor Relations Board filed a complaint against Kinetic Content and Delirium TV demanding they classify all contestants since 19 January 2023 as employees and inform them in writing that they were considered employees under the law.