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What Sparked the Horizon Lawsuit<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Devyn LaBella, who doubled for actress Ella Hunt, alleges she was blindsided during a May 2023 shoot and pressured into performing a rough, simulated rape without proper disclosure. She claims modesty protections weren\u2019t in place and no intimacy coordinator was present. Costner\u2019s filing disputes that narrative, insisting the sequence was scripted, fully clothed, and handled with oversight. This sharp clash raises new questions about how rigorously post-#MeToo safeguards are enforced on major productions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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Why Costner Calls the Allegations \u201cA Lie\u201d<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
In his response, Costner submitted sworn statements and pointed to text messages allegedly showing LaBella expressing gratitude for the job. His lawyers argue the lawsuit is an attempt to tarnish his reputation at a vulnerable time for Horizon<\/em>. For supporters, the filing reasserts that not every on-set disagreement equals misconduct. For critics, it looks like Hollywood\u2019s old power dynamics resurfacing under new guises.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Horizon: Chapter 1<\/em> grossed only around $25 million on a reported $100 million budget. Chapter 2\u2019s release was delayed into 2025, adding financial pressure. LaBella\u2019s lawsuit seeks damages plus mandatory intimacy-coordination safeguards\u2014requirements that could drive costs higher for mid-budget Westerns. Insurers and completion-bond companies are already watching closely, calculating whether new compliance rules will become mandatory across the industry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n On social platforms, the case has split opinion. One camp amplifies LaBella\u2019s story as proof that Hollywood still fails to protect vulnerable workers. Another insists Costner is being unfairly maligned and points to his long career with relatively few such controversies. Hashtags backing both sides are trending, reflecting how one disputed scene can spark cultural firestorms well beyond the courtroom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The case is still in early stages. Costner\u2019s team has filed a motion to dismiss, citing California\u2019s anti-SLAPP statute meant to protect free expression. LaBella\u2019s attorneys counter with reports from an intimacy coordinator they say corroborates her account. The judge\u2019s decision on whether the case proceeds to discovery will set the tone: quiet dismissal, or months of evidence-gathering that could pull in guilds, producers, and insurers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Even before a verdict, this lawsuit is reshaping conversations about consent. True: intimacy coordinators are now considered as essential as stunt coordinators. True: productions must maintain airtight paper trails\u2014call sheets, consent forms, modesty-garment logs\u2014to avoid liability. False: that a dismissal would prove safeguards were perfect. The cultural impact is clear: ambiguity is risk, and sensitive scenes demand documentation as rigorous as any high-risk stunt.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If LaBella prevails, she could secure damages and a precedent that forces stronger union enforcement. If Costner succeeds in dismissing the case, he preserves both reputation and control over Horizon<\/em>. Hollywood as a whole, however, is already on notice. No matter how the court rules, producers will rethink how they choreograph and document sensitive content\u2014because the reputational and financial costs of getting it wrong are higher than ever.<\/p>\n\n\n\n https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/film\/2025\/aug\/19\/kevin-costner-lawsuit-horizon-stunt-performer <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":18,"featured_media":4277,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"schema_org_data":"","_extracted_celebrities":"","_extracted_movies":"","_extracted_places":"","_extracted_videos":"","_last_enrichment_date":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4275","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-entertainment","generate-columns","tablet-grid-50","mobile-grid-100","grid-parent","grid-33"],"yoast_head":"\n
\n\n\n\nThe Numbers Behind the Fallout<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nSocial Media Divides Over Who to Believe<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nWhat the Legal Filings Reveal So Far<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"\u201cHorizon](\"https:\/\/www.red94.net\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Kevin-Costner-Calls-Horizon-Rape-Scene-Allegations-a-Bold-Faced-Lie-1024x683.jpg\")
\n\n\n\nHow the Case Could Change Hollywood Sets Forever<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nWho Wins and Loses in the End<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nSources<\/h1>\n\n\n\n
https:\/\/www.latimes.com\/entertainment-arts\/movies\/story\/2025-05-28\/kevin-coster-sued-rape-scene-horizon-part-two-devyn-labella
https:\/\/www.thewrap.com\/horizon-2-stunt-actress-amends-lawsuit-kevin-costner\/<\/p>\n\n\n\n