A sexual harassment case against actor and director Kevin Costner, who is involved in the production of the ambitious four-part Western epic Horizon: An American Saga, has been dismissed after he referred to the stunt performer accusing him of coercive tactics involving a simulated rape scene as a ploy to harm his reputation.
The plaintiff, whose stunt double is Devyn LaBella, accused Costner of colluding to trigger her into an unscripted and violent simulated rape scene without warning and without her express permission or an intimacy coordinator present. Costner in his new legal statement termed the allegations as a bold-faced lie and believed that the lawsuit was made to hurt his reputation, which was intended to do through false statements and sensationalistic words and language.
The Core of the Legal Dispute
The case that was brought forth by Devyn LaBella revolves around the incident that did happen on the set of Horizon: An American Saga- Chapter 2. Stuntman Perry states that one scene of a violent sexual assault, was improvised by Costner and that she (Perry) was hired to fill in on the scene as the lead actress was said to have refused to play the scene and left the set.
The complaint states that LaBella cites numerous breaches of her SAG-AFTRA union contract including the fact that no more than 48 hours notice was given before the performance of any scene that depicted simulated sex and there was no intimacy coordinator. She says she became shocked, embarrassed and humiliated and now she has undergone therapy.
Costner’s Rebuttal and Supporting Evidence
In his motion to dismiss, in his legal team has presented alternative version of the events that the scene in question was not a fake rape scene but was in fact build-up and prediction of two violent rapes that did not take place on the screen. The lawyers of Costner have been able to produce a statement backed by sworn declarations of a dozen veteran crew members who were on set.
They also draw the attention to a text message sent by LaBella to her supervisor a bit more than a week after the incident in which she wrote: “Thank you for these great weeks! How I love you! I have treasured it and I have learned so much and I once again thank you.” This is what the Costner team claimed to be countering her traumatic experiences and a hostile work environment. A filmed intimacy coordinator, Celeste Chaney, has come out publicly in defense of LaBella, behind the scenes saying that rules were thrown out the window on the part of the scene.
Also Read: Justin Baldoni Finally Speaks Out As Co-Star Isabela Ferrer Accuses Him Of Bullying On Set
A recent media graduate, Bhumi Vashisht is currently making a significant contribution as a committed content writer. She brings new ideas to the media sector and is an expert at creating strategic content and captivating tales, having working in the field from past four months.
