Love Is Blind Lawsuit: Five Cases, One Paid Settlement, Two Still Open
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The Love is Blind lawsuit in the news right now is the Texas sexual-assault case filed by a season five participant: it was settled and dismissed with prejudice on July 9, 2026, on terms that are not public. Separately, a 2025 wage class action and a federal labor-board complaint against producers Kinetic Content and Delirium TV are still pending. The only payout we can document is from an earlier wage settlement that is closed; the Dang settlement amount is not public. There is no open claim form.
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Reviewed by Leonard Goldberg, Editor · Last updated
What the Cast Members Allege
Every case comes back to the same contract. Cast members sign a participant agreement with the production companies, Kinetic Content and Delirium TV, that treats them as independent contractors, binds them to confidentiality and sends disputes to private arbitration. According to court filings, it also carried a $50,000 penalty for leaving the show early.
The wage cases allege cast were really employees: pay of $1,000 per week for 20-hour days, seven days a week — about $7.14 an hour — with phones and IDs taken and food and sleep controlled by production. The National Labor Relations Board's regional office made a similar argument under federal labor law. One season five participant's case alleged sexual assault by a fellow participant and that producers kept her on location. The producers have denied the allegations; none was decided at trial.
Case Details
Dang v. Delirium TV, LLC, Kinetic Content, LLC, et al. — District Court of Harris County, Texas, filed August 16, 2022. The Court of Appeals for the First District of Texas refused to send it to arbitration under the federal Ending Forced Arbitration of Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment Act (opinion reported April 10, 2024). Settled; dismissed with prejudice July 9, 2026.
Hartwell v. Kinetic Content — California wage class action by a season two cast member, filed 2022. Settled for $1,395,000; payments reached class members by January 2026.
Poche v. Delirium TV and Netflix — Los Angeles Superior Court, filed January 2024 to stop a $4 million NDA arbitration. Judge Bruce G. Iwasaki compelled arbitration and stayed the case on March 22, 2024; an appeal failed.
Richardson v. Netflix, Kinetic Content and Delirium TV — proposed class action in California state court, filed September 15, 2025. Pending.
NLRB, Delirium TV, LLC and Kinetic Content, LLC, Case 18-CA-329487 — complaint issued by Region 18 in December 2024. Pending.
Status: Texas Case Settled, Two Cases Still Pending
Dang (Texas): closed. On June 1, 2026 Judge Kristen Brauchle Hawkins ordered Kinetic to name season five camera operators within 10 days, make executives available for depositions and release psychological-evaluation materials. On June 12, 2026 the defense told the court the parties had agreed to resolve all claims; the dismissal order was signed July 9, 2026. Terms are not in the public file.
Hartwell (California): closed and paid. No claims are being taken.
Poche: in private arbitration. No public outcome.
Richardson (California): pending. We found no public ruling on class certification and no settlement.
NLRB: pending. A hearing before an administrative law judge was first set for April 22, 2025 in Milwaukee. We could not confirm that a decision has issued; any decision can be appealed to the Board in Washington.
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There's no claim deadline yet. We'll email you if a settlement opens a claim period.
Who Could Be Affected
These are cases about people who worked on the shows — not viewers or Netflix subscribers. If you only watched Love Is Blind, none of them involves you.
Richardson proposes a class of people who applied for or took part in the companies' California-produced reality shows since 2021. No class has been certified; you do not sign up anywhere.
Hartwell covered, per a class member's account of the notice, Love Is Blind seasons 2, 3, 4 and 5 and The Ultimatum seasons 1 and 2. That settlement is finished.
The NLRB complaint seeks to undo contract terms in effect since January 19, 2023 and to make cast whole for losses caused by the alleged misclassification. If it succeeds, the order would apply to cast without any filing on their part.
Is There Money, and How Much?
The one completed payout is Hartwell: $1,395,000 in total, according to court papers reported in May 2024. One class member said in December 2024 that the notice put attorneys' fees at 35 percent and his share at about $4,000; another reported receiving $8,287. Those are self-reported amounts and shares differed by person.
The Dang settlement amount is not public. Richardson seeks unspecified damages, and the NLRB cannot award a lump sum to the public — its remedies are reclassification, rescinded contract terms and make-whole relief for the people affected.
Love Is Blind Lawsuit Timeline
- 1
2022 — First Lawsuits Filed
A season two cast member files the Hartwell wage class action in California. On August 16, 2022 a season five participant sues in Harris County, Texas.
- 2
November 2023 — $4 Million NDA Arbitration
Delirium TV starts arbitration against season five cast member Renee Poche for alleged NDA breaches. On March 22, 2024 a Los Angeles judge sends her challenge to arbitration.
- 3
May 2024 — Hartwell Settles for $1,395,000
Court papers show a class settlement covering over a hundred cast and crew. Class members later report receiving payments.
- 4
December 2024 — NLRB Complaint
NLRB Region 18 alleges cast are misclassified employees and that contract clauses are unlawful. A hearing is set for April 22, 2025.
- 5
September 15, 2025 — Richardson Class Action
A season seven contestant files a proposed class action against Netflix, Kinetic Content and Delirium TV in California state court.
- 6
July 9, 2026 — Texas Case Dismissed After Settlement
Weeks after discovery orders on June 1, 2026, the parties settle and the case is dismissed with prejudice. Richardson and the NLRB matter remain pending.
Three Things to Watch For
A famous show and a widely reported settlement make an easy hook for fake claims:
“Love Is Blind settlement claim” sites for viewers
None of these cases pays viewers or Netflix subscribers. A page asking for your Netflix login, card details or Social Security number to “claim your share” is phishing.
Messages about the Hartwell payout
That settlement has already paid out and is closed. A message asking a former cast or crew member to pay a “release fee” or confirm bank details for it is not from a court-appointed administrator.
“Join the Richardson class” offers
No class has been certified and no settlement exists. You cannot buy your way into a class action; if a class is certified, members are notified through a court-approved notice.
Love Is Blind Lawsuit — Questions People Actually Ask
Which Love Is Blind lawsuit is in the news?
Mostly the Texas sexual-assault case filed by a season five participant. It settled in June 2026 and was dismissed with prejudice on July 9, 2026, shortly after a judge ordered Kinetic to disclose camera operators and produce executives for depositions. The terms are confidential.
Did Netflix pay Love Is Blind contestants?
In the Hartwell wage class action, yes: a $1,395,000 settlement covering over a hundred cast and crew. Individual shares varied; two class members publicly reported about $4,000 and $8,287.
Can I still file a claim?
No. As of October 2026 there is no open settlement, no claim form and no deadline in any Love Is Blind case. The Hartwell settlement is closed.
Are Love Is Blind contestants employees?
That is the core dispute. NLRB Region 18 says yes in Case 18-CA-329487, and the Richardson suit makes the same claim under California law. No judge or Board has ruled on it in a final decision we could confirm, and the producers dispute it.
What happened to Renee Poche's case?
On March 22, 2024 Judge Bruce G. Iwasaki ruled her challenge to the $4 million NDA claim must go to arbitration, and an appeal failed. Arbitration is private, so no outcome is public.
I watched the show. Am I part of any of this?
No. Every case concerns people who worked on or applied to the productions. There is no viewer or subscriber class.
I was on a Kinetic show. Do I need to do anything now?
Nothing is required to be part of the Richardson proposed class. Keep your participant agreement and any pay records. If you were asked to pay money for breaching a confidentiality clause, that is the kind of term the NLRB complaint targets — an employment lawyer can say whether it applies to you.
Is the NLRB case decided?
Not as far as we could confirm as of October 2026. The complaint was issued in December 2024 and a hearing was first set for April 22, 2025. An administrative law judge's decision can be appealed to the Board in Washington.
Separate from this case: were you injured in the last 2 years?
Class-action payouts are fixed amounts through an administrator. A personal injury claim is a different case — and often worth far more. Free estimate, no obligation.