Kevin Costner Responds with Explosive Evidence to Dispute ‘Unscripted Rape’ Allegation

Kevin Costner Refutes Stuntwoman’s Assault Allegation with Behind-the-Scenes Photos

Kevin Costner has responded to stuntwoman Devyn LaBella’s lawsuit with new court filings, including behind-the-scenes images he says show she was at ease during the filming of a controversial scene for Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 2.

The 70-year-old actor-director submitted photos depicting LaBella — who served as a stunt double for actress Ella Hunt’s character, Juliette — rehearsing a scene that Costner says was “carefully blocked” and did not include any simulated rape, sex, nudity, or physical contact.

Costner explained that the scene was meant to suggest, but not depict, the leadup to an off-screen assault. According to his filing, the actor Roger Ivens was instructed only to lift the hem of the character’s dress — a gesture meant to imply what would happen next, without showing any physical violence or explicit content.

In her lawsuit, filed in May 2025, LaBella alleged she was pressured to perform a “violent, unscripted, and unplanned rape scene” during the May 2023 shoot, without proper notice or rehearsal. She claimed she was told to lie down while another actor was brought in to simulate rape on top of her and that her undergarments were exposed during filming.

Costner disputes this version of events, stating that LaBella was aware of and agreed to the scene’s choreography, wore full costume, and was not placed in distressing circumstances. He added that photos and eyewitness statements confirm her privacy was maintained and that she did not appear upset on set.

“There was no simulated sex, nudity, or violent restraint. It was a tightly focused shot meant to convey context, nothing more,” Costner said in the filing.

Costner also included a message LaBella sent to a production supervisor after filming, in which she expressed gratitude for her experience, writing:
“Thank you for these wonderful weeks! I so appreciate you! I learned so much and thank you again… I’m really happy it worked out the way it did.”

LaBella, however, maintains that the incident was a serious breach of consent and workplace safety. In an amended complaint filed in June, she submitted messages with the film’s intimacy coordinator and described ongoing emotional distress following the scene.

“What happened to me on that set was a reckless violation,” LaBella stated. “Compliance under pressure is not consent. Consent cannot be given after the harm has already begun.”

She also accused the defendants — including Costner and his attorney Marty Singer — of attempting to silence her and discredit her account.

Singer has strongly denied LaBella’s claims, calling them fabricated and emphasizing that there was “no intimacy or anything sexual” in the scene filmed.

LaBella’s attorneys, James A. Vagnini and Kate McFarlane, argue that she objected immediately after the incident and that documents, including a report from the intimacy coordinator, support her account.

Vagnini said in a statement: “The defendants failed her in every possible way. This lawsuit is about accountability — not just for this incident, but for a system that too often protects those in power and punishes those who speak out.”

Costner’s legal team is now seeking the dismissal of LaBella’s complaint, citing her participation in the scene, her post-shoot messages, and testimony from multiple cast and crew members.