Published by Cel Manero from Global One Media Inc.
Costner’s legal team states that multiple witnesses from the Horizon sequel dispute stunt performer Devyn LaBella’s claims.
Kevin Costner is pushing back against serious accusations brought by stuntwoman Devyn LaBella, who alleges she was forced to participate in an unplanned and non-consensual assault scene while filming Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 2.
In a statement shared with Fox News Digital, Costner’s attorney, Marty Singer, denied the claims, stating that the moment in question was a rehearsal for a planned insert shot involving no sexual content. He described the action as a brief dress tug while LaBella remained fully clothed.
Singer added that “numerous witnesses” on set have contradicted LaBella’s account and pointed to a post-production message she reportedly sent to her supervisor thanking the team for “these wonderful weeks.”
“We anticipate a swift dismissal of this baseless lawsuit,” the attorney concluded.
LaBella, however, filed an amended complaint on June 18, asserting that on May 2, 2023, she was directed to perform a simulated rape scene without prior warning and in the absence of stunt or intimacy coordinators. In her statement, she described feeling violated, exposed, and abandoned, emphasizing that “compliance under pressure is not consent.”
She further said, “I was met with silence and deflection after speaking up. This isn’t just about me — it’s about holding the industry accountable and demanding safety and respect for everyone on set.”
Her updated legal action builds upon the original lawsuit filed in May.
New details in Devyn LaBella’s amended lawsuit include alleged text message exchanges with the film’s intimacy coordinator, reportedly sent the day after the incident in question.
“I wanted to discuss yesterday’s abomination when we both have a chance,” wrote LaBella, 30, according to the filing. “I was put in a really wrong position and it’s really affected me.” The coordinator is said to have replied, “Oh no, I’m so sorry to hear this Devyn… Let’s talk through it.”
In another alleged message, LaBella questioned the absence of appropriate oversight during the scene: “Why was there no intimacy coordinator?” She also asked, “Why was a stunt double doing this non-stunt work — especially given the sensitivity of it?” and continued, “Who is gonna take responsibility for the abuse of power…”
The legal dispute between LaBella and Costner began after she alleged she was directed to perform an unplanned and non-consensual simulated rape scene, without prior notice or the required presence of an intimacy coordinator, during production of Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 2.
LaBella served as the primary stunt double for actress Ella Hunt, who portrays Juliette Chesney, a central character in the film. Horizon: An American Saga is a four-part Western epic co-written, directed, produced by, and starring Kevin Costner.
In her original complaint, filed on May 27, 2025, and obtained by Fox News Digital, LaBella accused Costner and his production entities of sexual harassment, gender-based discrimination, fostering a hostile work environment, and retaliation connected to the alleged on-set incident.
The complaint states that on May 2, 2023, LaBella was “the victim of a violent, unscripted, unscheduled rape scene directed by Kevin Costner.”
In a prior statement to Fox News Digital, Kevin Costner’s attorney strongly rejected Devyn LaBella’s accusations, calling them “completely without merit.”
Legal filings from LaBella, however, assert that the unplanned scene deeply impacted her — disrupting a career she had worked hard to build and resulting in lasting emotional trauma she expects to carry for years.
LaBella is seeking both compensatory and punitive damages, with her legal team requesting a jury trial.
According to the lawsuit, LaBella began working on Horizon: Chapter 2 in April 2023. Court documents also describe another scene filmed on May 1, 2023, that involved prior rehearsals with the actors, direction from Wade Allen, and oversight by an intimacy coordinator. That shoot, the filing states, was conducted on a closed set and followed standard protocol.
