Kevin Costner has made a fresh bid to toss an assault/harassment lawsuit tied to his film Horizon. He denies the claims; earlier counts were already cut.
The Moment
Kevin Costner is trying again to get a sexual harassment and assault lawsuit dismissed. A stunt performer, Devyn LaBella, alleges she was forced into an unscripted, unscheduled rape scene while working on Costner’s Western film series, Horizon.
New legal papers submitted this week ask a judge to throw out the remaining claims after an earlier ruling reportedly cut two of LaBella’s ten counts. Costner’s side has repeatedly denied a violent rape scene ever occurred on set, calling the suit a shake-down in prior public statements.
Kevin Costner Tries Again To Dismiss Lawsuit Over Alleged ‘Horizon’ Rape Scene https://t.co/jltKiUhZDM pic.twitter.com/YSs7TReC0Q
— TMZ (@TMZ) October 31, 2025
That’s where we are: a renewed push to end the case before trial, and a high-profile star insisting the core allegation is fiction.
The Take
Hollywood loves a sequel, but the legal kind is never fun. This latest filing isn’t a bold plot twist so much as a familiar play: when parts of a suit survive the first pass, defense teams often try, try again. It’s procedure, not drama—though the subject matter is heavy and deserves care.
Here’s what matters beyond the headlines: If an actor is saying “no such scene existed,” and a stunt performer is alleging she was pressured into one, the real reckoning will come down to evidence, witnesses, and whether on-set protocols were followed. In a post-#MeToo industry that now has intimacy standards baked in, productions are supposed to plan, rehearse, and consent-check anything involving simulated sex or sexual violence. If those guardrails were present and documented, they’ll matter. If they weren’t, that matters too.
Think of this like a safety harness on a stunt: when it’s used correctly, you barely notice it; when it’s not there, everything gets risky fast. Regardless of outcome, this is a stress test for how seriously productions uphold intimacy rules—especially on action-heavy sets where stunts and story collide.
“This isn’t about headlines; it’s about receipts—who documented what, and when.”
Receipts
- Confirmed (via legal filings shared with the press):
- A stunt performer, Devyn LaBella, filed a lawsuit in May alleging misconduct tied to an on-set rape scene on Horizon.
- A judge previously dismissed two of ten claims; the defense has now filed new papers seeking dismissal of the remaining counts.
- Costner’s side has publicly denied that any violent rape scene occurred on the production.
- Unverified/Alleged:
- That LaBella was forced into an unscripted, unscheduled rape scene. This remains an allegation in a civil case.
- Any suggestion of criminal conduct. No criminal charge has been reported; this is a civil lawsuit.
Primary context: SAG-AFTRA’s published Standards and Protocols for Intimacy Coordinators (2020; updated 2022) detail consent, choreography, and documentation practices for intimate and simulated sexual-violence scenes.
Backstory (For Casual Readers)
Kevin Costner—Oscar-winning star and director best known lately for Yellowstone—wrote, directed, and stars in Horizon, a multi-part Western saga. Chapter 1 bowed in 2024. The lawsuit at issue is civil, not criminal. In recent years, Hollywood has adopted intimacy coordination guidelines to protect performers during scenes involving sex or sexual violence, aiming to prevent confusion, pressure, or unsafe improvisation.
What’s Next
Expect a hearing or written ruling on the new dismissal bid. If the judge tosses more counts, the case narrows; if not, discovery and potential depositions could move forward. Watch for any official statement from the production, any union comment about set protocols, and whether the court sets a schedule that signals this is heading toward trial—or toward settlement talks.
However this shakes out, paper trails will be pivotal: call sheets, scene breakdowns, emails, safety reports, and intimacy-coordination notes—if any—could determine what the court believes happened on that set.
Sources: Public legal filings provided to the press (Oct. 30, 2025); On-the-record statements from Kevin Costner’s attorney shared with media (Oct. 2025); SAG-AFTRA Standards and Protocols for Intimacy Coordinators (2020; updated 2022).
Your turn: In cases like this, should courts require productions to show intimacy-coordination paperwork up front, or is that overreach before discovery even begins?
Comments