COLUMBUS, Ohio (WSYX) — A contestant on the Ohio-based season of the Netflix dating show “Love Is Blind” is suing a Columbus woman, accusing her of defamation after she publicly alleged he sexually assaulted her.

The lawsuit was filed this week on behalf of Steven Sunday and names Elisha Watts. We do not normally name victims of sexual assault, but have chosen to do so due to the allegations made on Watts’s public social media pages.

In a TikTok video posted last month, Watts said, “I don’t even know how to start a video like this, but I’m just going to jump right into it. I’m the girl who posted on my story about Steven from Love is Blind Season 10 sexually assaulted me.”

The TikTok post from Watts has been viewed more than 980,000 times. The lawsuit says the allegations against Sunday are “unequivocally false.”

According to the lawsuit, Watts and Sunday met on the dating app Bumble and chatted over social media as far back as October 2024. The lawsuit says they later met at Watts’ apartment in May 2025. It alleges the two participated in a consensual act and that Watts agreed to have it recorded on video. Sunday claims he was at her apartment for an hour and a half before leaving and had no further contact with her.

The lawsuit also includes a post from Watts in which she acknowledges she did not file a police report. Columbus police confirmed there is no sexual assault report involving Sunday. Reynoldsburg police, where Steven’s address is, also said they do not have any reports related to the allegations.

Sunday said he was placed on paid leave from his finance job at an insurance company, likely due to the social media allegations, and because his work is entirely commission-based, he cannot earn an income.

A cease-and-desist letter was reportedly served to the woman on February 8, but the lawsuit said more public posts about Sunday were made, and none were taken down before the lawsuit.

The lawsuit seeks compensation for defamation and intentional infliction of emotional distress. The first hearing in the case is set for later this month.

Attempts were made to contact Watts by visiting her home, but no one answered the door. A call was also placed to Sunday’s attorney.