Kink.com accused of unsafe working conditions

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December 8, 2015 | The Biz

Kink.com accused of unsafe working conditions

Last week, Kink.com - the San Francisco-based production company that specializes in BDSM-themed porn - made headlines after distancing itself from straight porn star James Deen. Deen has been accused by several women of rape, and Kink.com decided it was best to end its long-standing working relationship with the actor.

This week, Kink.com is back in the news after it was revealed the company is facing four lawsuits filed this year. In each case, plaintiffs allege that the company is responsible for unsafe working conditions resulting in personal harm.

Three of the lawsuits allege that the plaintiffs - models Cameron Adams, Joshua Rodgers, and a John Doe - contracted HIV on Kink.com sets. It is important to note here that Kink.com models are required to use condoms in anal sex scenes.

According to these lawsuits: people were pushed beyond their normal limits; complaints, including complaints about sexual assault, were ignored or roundly dismissed; and HIV- workers, at times, were expected to work with performers known for being HIV+ or who had not been tested.

John Doe's complaint alleged that he was not permitted to ask that other actors use condoms (for oral sex) during a shoot for Bound in Public.

“At the May 3 shoot, Plaintiff John Doe was forced by Defendants to sexually interact with almost every member of the public,” the suit claimed. “While Plaintiff was physically restrained and blindfolded, Defendant Darkholme is clearly seen on video footage forcefully pushing Plaintiff’s head and mouth into the penises of dozens of men to perform oral sex on them. None of these performers were wearing a condom nor were any bathers used.”

Kink.com has argued that neither Adams nor Rodgers ever performed with someone who was HIV-positive. The company has yet to publicly respond to the John Doe lawsuit, though Kink.com has always maintained that it “upholds an ironclad set of values to foster an environment that is safe, sane, and consensual."

The fourth lawsuit was filed by a former employee, who said she was assaulted while filming a bondage segment, and then she faced workplace retaliation after raising the issue.

BuzzFeed News approached several Kink performers, and many had only positive opinions to share.

Madelyn Monroe said she was “shocked” by the lawsuits, and Roxanne Rae said Kink.com was “the best and most professional company I’ve ever worked for.”

“People are not running around like maniacs raping each other,” added Mona Wales. “That’s just not what goes down in my day-to-day existence. I would not be a part of that community. ... Kink.com is about the safest place to make a BDSM porn."

“I think that having one employee sue you every 10 to 15 years is a pretty good batting average," argued Kink.com's lawyer, Karen Tynan.

Spokesman Michael Stabile indicated that Kink.com would update its shooting guidelines and its Model Bill of Rights over the next few days to establish "clearer, and perhaps anonymous, ways for performers to report incidents."

The next court date in these cases will take place in February, 2016.

For more details, you can see BuzzFeed's lengthy article on the four lawsuits here.