‘Love Is Blind’ Producers & Netflix Face Class Action Lawsuit Alleging Inhumane Working Conditions
los Angeles – Netflix and the producers of love Is Blind are facing a class action lawsuit filed September 15, alleging the reality show misclassified contestants as autonomous contractors and subjected them to exploitative working conditions. The suit, brought by former cast member Richard Richardson, claims a “ample exercise of control” over participants’ lives during production.
The complaint echoes previous legal challenges from fellow love Is Blind cast members Renee Poche and Jeremy Hartwell, and builds upon prior National Labor Relations Board findings against the show. RichardsonS 9-claim complaint asserts that Netflix and producers bound cast members with Non-Disclosure Agreements (NDAs) while manipulating events for entertainment value.
According to the filing, contestants endured “inhumane working conditions” stemming from a “combination of sleep deprivation, isolation, lack of food, and an excess of alcohol all either required, enabled, or encouraged by Defendants.” The lawsuit details allegations that producers controlled “every aspect of the Cast’s lives during production, including the Cast’s time, access to food and drinks, sleeping arrangements, and contact with family and friends and other persons outside of production,” preventing participants from acting “of their own free will.”
Richardson is seeking class certification and damages exceeding $35,000.00 for unpaid wages and alleged mistreatment. While a specific monetary amount is not stated, the complaint suggests the final figure will be considerably higher.
Netflix has not yet responded to a request for comment from Deadline. Similar lawsuits against reality TV productions have often been settled or dismissed through arbitration.