“Kevin Costner’s ‘Desperate Measure’ To Toss ‘Horizon II’ Suit Is ‘Nonsense,’ Says Stuntwoman; Oscar Winner’s Lawyer Insists Otherwise”

Kevin Costner and Stuntwoman Devyn LaBella Deepen Legal Battle Over ‘Horizon II’ Harassment Claims

The legal showdown between Kevin Costner and Horizon II stunt performer Devyn LaBella continues to escalate — and it’s becoming clear the two sides aren’t just fighting over the original allegations, but over what they believe the case is even about.

In a sharply worded filing submitted to L.A. Superior Court on September 5, LaBella accused Costner and his legal team of using California’s anti-SLAPP statute as a “desperate measure” to derail her lawsuit. “Defendants now claim that Ms. LaBella intends to interfere with their free speech rights regarding creative works,” reads the 21-page filing from her legal team, which includes attorneys from Hadsell Stormer Renick & Dai and Valli Kane & Vagnini.

LaBella, a SAG-AFTRA member who also worked on Barbie, filed the suit earlier this year, alleging she was the victim of “a violent unscripted, unscheduled rape scene” during filming of Horizon II on May 2, 2023. She claims the scene was shot without a stunt or intimacy coordinator — a violation of both her contract and industry safety norms.

“By Defendants’ logic,” LaBella’s lawyers argue, “the anti-SLAPP statute would prohibit any suit based on a film industry worker’s objection to the breaking of safety protocols during filming.” They warn such a precedent would leave cast and crew “at the mercy of powerful companies and famous directors” — silencing workers who speak up for their legal protections.

LaBella is seeking unspecified damages and a court mandate requiring that all future Costner productions include an intimacy coordinator. She is also requesting that Costner and the other named defendants undergo anti-sexual harassment and anti-sexual violence training provided by a qualified organization.

Costner, through his longtime attorney Marty Singer, has fiercely denied the allegations, calling them “a bold-faced lie” and accusing LaBella of attempting a “transparent shakedown.” In a recent statement, Singer said, “This may be a new filing, but it’s really just more of the same old nonsense. These claims are not only groundless, they are ridiculous.”

Singer also noted that 12 independent witnesses “confirm that Ms. LaBella’s claims are fabricated.”

But LaBella’s team insists otherwise, saying the defendants’ own documents and statements are “rife with contradictions” — including details about what was filmed, how long the scene lasted, and what LaBella was wearing. “The May 2nd shot was missing all of Ms. LaBella’s contractually required protections,” the opposition brief states, distinguishing her lawsuit as one focused on safety violations, not creative censorship.

LaBella’s position has gained some support — notably from Horizon II intimacy coordinator Celeste Chaney, who has publicly backed her version of events.

Whether this lawsuit proves to be a turning point for workplace accountability or just another Hollywood he-said-she-said legal drama remains to be seen. However, its outcome may also impact the future of Costner’s Western epic. Following a lukewarm box office showing for Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 1, no release date has been set for Horizon II, and production has yet to begin on the planned Horizon III and Horizon IV installments.

With a key hearing on the dismissal motion scheduled for September 18, the battle over Horizon is far from over — both on screen and in court.