A Judge Is Letting Eight of Ten Claims in the Kevin Costner Horizon Lawsuit Move Forward

Caption: Kevin Costner at the 81st Venice Film Festival on September 7, 2024. Credit: Ariela Ortiz-Barrantes, via Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Kevin Costner says the lawsuit against him was designed to damage his reputation. A Los Angeles judge has ruled there is enough for most of it to move forward, a procedural finding, not a verdict.

What You Should Know

Stunt performer Devyn LaBella filed suit against Kevin Costner and the production companies behind “Horizon: An American Saga - Chapter 2,” alleging sexual harassment, discrimination and a hostile work environment, according to Rolling Stone. LaBella alleges she was directed into an unplanned, simulated scene during filming without the advance notice, consent process or intimacy coordinator her contract required. The allegation concerns how a dramatized scene was filmed, not a claim of an actual assault by Costner.

In a ruling issued in October, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Jon Takasugi denied Costner’s motion to strike the case under California’s anti-SLAPP statute, letting eight of LaBella’s ten claims proceed and dismissing two, Courthouse News Service reported.

The Public Image Problem

Costner has firmly denied the allegations. In a 2025 court filing obtained by Rolling Stone, he called the claims “absolutely false” and said the lawsuit was “designed” to “damage my reputation” and secure “a massive and unjustified payday.” LaBella’s attorney, James Vagnini, told Rolling Stone that Costner’s team was “trying to skirt accountability.”

The Receipts

Judge Takasugi found the case cleared the early legal bar even though it centers on a single incident, writing that the evidence “could suggest that a reasonable person, in the same position, would find this to be a hostile work environment,” according to Courthouse News Service. An anti-SLAPP denial means the claims are legally sufficient to proceed; it is not a finding that they have been proven.

The production also faces separate financial litigation: Western Costume sued Costner’s Territory Pictures banner for roughly $134,000 in unpaid costume-rental fees, The Hollywood Reporter reported.

What Happens Next

Costner is appealing the anti-SLAPP denial, according to entertainment trade reporting, and continues to deny wrongdoing. The stunt-performer case moves toward further proceedings with eight claims still live, while financing for the “Horizon” saga remains unsettled and Chapter 2 has no release date.

References: Rolling Stone | Courthouse News Service | The Hollywood Reporter