Kevin Costner 'Movie Rape Case' Update: Actor Calls Sexual Harassment Allegations a 'Bold-faced Lie' and Drops Bombshell Images From Filming to Shake Up Legal Fight...as He Seeks to Get Case Dismissed
Kevin Costner is fighting back against the shocking allegations.
Aug. 19 2025, Published 7:05 p.m. ET
In a dramatic twist, Kevin Costner has officially filed to dismiss the bombshell sexual harassment lawsuit brought against him by stuntwoman Devyn LaBella from the Horizon sequel, RadarOnline.com has learned.
Costner, 70, called LaBella's claims a "bold-faced lie" in a declaration filed on Monday, August 18, in L.A. Superior Court, accusing her of trying to destroy his character and standing in Hollywood.
Photographic Evidence
Costner claims stuntwoman Devyn LaBella's allegations were intended to destroy his reputation.
"My belief is that Devyn’s claims were designed, through the use of false statements and sensationalistic language, to damage my reputation," Costner argued in his request to dismiss the case.
"These allegations are so patently false I can only assume that the purpose was to use this sensationalistic language to embarrass and damage me and the Horizon movies on an ongoing basis in order to gain a massive and unjustified payday,” the Yellowstone alum added.
LaBella, 34, who was the stunt double for actress Ella Hunt, shocked the industry when she claimed that she was coerced into participating in an "unscripted, unscheduled rape scene" directed by Costner for Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 2. However, the Oscar winner alleged in the new filing that LaBella expressed nothing but "enthusiasm and gratitude" after filming wrapped.
In his filing, Coster provided the court with photographs of the scene featuring LaBella, and another showing the smiling stuntwoman next to her director on set. Costner said the shot was "carefully blocked" and disputed her "rape" scene claims.
'Deeply Disappointing' Allegations
Costner submitted photos of the scene with the court to back up his claims.
Meanwhile, the longtime actor detailed his version of events on the day of the alleged incident. According to Costner, LaBella was in a scene alongside actor Roger Ivens, who was simply "hovering" above her while they filmed in a wagon. He insisted there was "no nudity, rape, simulated sex or physical contact" during the shoot, describing LaBella as "fully clothed in an ankle-length dress with bike shorts underneath."
Costner vehemently stated that while the dress may have shifted, it never rose above her waist, leaving her garments untouched. He expressed his dismay at LaBella's allegations, declaring them to be "absolutely false" and "deeply disappointing."
LaBella's Side of the Story
LaBella claimed she was forced to film a rape scene without an intimacy coordinator present.
In her initial lawsuit, filed in May, LaBella accused Costner of sexual discrimination, harassment, and creating a "hostile work environment" while filming the Horizon sequel — a project plagued by turmoil. She claimed she was forced into the wagon scene after Hunt, 27, refused to proceed due to the scene’s shocking nature.
Following the scene, LaBella claimed she experienced "reminders of shame, humiliation, and complete lack of control," and took a few days off from set. She said she was left with "permanent trauma" that has since impacted her career.
As the legal showdown escalated, the two have been locked in a bitter exchange in court, with LaBella providing texts to support her claims while accusing Costner of attempting to silence her.
"Why was there no intimacy coordinator?" she allegedly asked the film's intimacy coordinator, Celeste Chaney, in a text submitted in her lawsuit about why she wasn't on set for the scene. "Why was a stunt double doing this non-stunt work, especially given the sensitivity of it? Why weren’t there any preparations going into the scene?"
"Who is gonna take responsibility for the abuse of power, negligence, and ignorance on set?" LaBella asked.
In his response to her lawsuit at the time, Costner's team shot back that there was "no intimacy or anything sexual" involved in the scene, thus an intimacy coordinator wasn't needed.
'Horizon' Headache
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Costner initially planned to shoot four chapters of 'Horizon.'
Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 1 premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in May 2024 and hit theaters the following month. The big-budget Western drama was a massive box-office bomb, and Horizon II's planned August 2024 release date was scrapped.
The beleaguered second chapter of Horizon still had its premiere at the Venice International Film Festival in September 2024. However, it is still without a theatrical release date nearly a year later.
Costner spent a good chunk of his fortune financing Horizon: An American Saga, which he planned to tell in four epic parts. The first two films were shot back-to-back, while the third has no start date after the first film flopped.
"Horizon was an epic failure that bled a lot of money out of (Costner) and didn't get much viewing," a source said in June. "He's still picking himself up off the floor over that, and now he's got this beast of a lawsuit threatening to get seriously costly, and he's smack-bang in the firing line unless his legal team can find a Hail Mary solution."
