Stephen Richardson, a contestant for the seventh season of “Love Is Blind,” sues the producer of the Netflix reality series, claiming that the production fails to pay wages and runs under “inhuman working conditions.”
The proposed class action lawsuit filed Monday in California Superior Court appointed Netflix and producers Kinetic Content and Delirium TV as defendants. Richardson and other cast members argue that he was “willfully misclassified” as an “independent contractor,” and that employers’ “overcontrolling the way, means and timing of work” should qualify competitors under California law protections, including minimum wage and overtime pay. The submission also argues that employers have maintained “dangerous” working conditions by limiting their ability to communicate with the outside world and “exercise full control over their time.” The lawsuit seeks unspecified damages.
The class action lawsuit argues that Richardson’s situation has been shared by “Love Is Blind” contestants who were in office on the show at least four years before filing, and could expand to contestants in other similar reality television series. You are trying to represent individuals who applied or participated in real-life TV Productions.
Richardson’s submission comes after “Love is Blind” contestant Renee Pouch, who sued the show’s makers for the emotional distress and intentional infringement of California’s labor laws. Arbitration proceedings began and began against her, claiming that Roche had broken the private agreement and sought $4 million. In Richardson’s lawsuit, the contestants allege that they were forced to sign a similar NDA, demanding that they pay around $97,529.77 for breach of contract.
“I think Delylium is trying to ruin me by silence the abuse that occurs behind the camera and telling the truth,” Porch told Variety in January 2024.
Both suits are part of legal calculations within the reality television industry and have long been criticized as exploitative.
Netflix and Kinetic did not respond to requests for comment.
