On this page, we will look at sexual assault lawsuits against Tinder, Hinge and other dating apps. These lawsuits are being filed by individuals who were sexually assaulted by someone they met on a dating app. The lawsuits accuse the app’s owner of negligently failing to screen users.
Our firm is investigating potential lawsuits against dating app companies for failing to protect users from known predators and for negligence in implementing adequate safety measures.
About Match Group Dating Apps
Match Group is the parent company of many of the most popular “dating apps” such as Tinder, Hinge, OkCupid, and Plenty of Fish. Between these apps, Match Group controls about half of the world’s online dating market.
Every day, millions of people use these platforms to connect. The apps are available in 190 countries worldwide and Match Group generates over $8 billion in annual revenue. Research has shown that the single people today are much more likely to meet on a dating app owned by Match Group than meeting at a bar, church, school or through friends.
Are Match Group Dating Apps Putting Users at Risk?
Despite being aware of multiple reports of sexual assault, drugging, and rape linked to users on its apps, our lawyers contend that Match Group has not taken sufficient action to warn the public or prevent offenders from rejoining its platforms. Instead, corporate growth and profits have seemingly taken priority over user safety.
Match Group’s Longstanding Knowledge of Sexual Assaults
Our lawyers have been keeping an eye on this potential litigation for quite some time. What we have learned is that Match Group has tracked reports of sexual violence on its dating apps since at least 2016. That is a good thing. The company even created an internal system, Sentinel, to log reports of users accused of rape and assault across its platforms.
What Match Group has failed to do, however, is implement any procedures to effectively use this information to help keep rapists and other perpetrators of sexual from coming back to the apps or continuing to use the apps to find victims. In many cases, Match Group even permitted individuals with known reports of rape or sexual assault to continue using its apps—placing new woman at grave risk.
In some cases, users who had been reported for sexual assault were later convicted of serious crimes, including rape and drugging their victims.
Denver Cardiologist Uses Hinge to Target Rape Victims
One of the most shocking cases of sexual predators using Match Group apps to draw in their victims occurred recently in Denver. The predator in that case was Stephen Matthews, a cardiologist in his mid-30s. Despite receiving multiple complaints accusing him of rape, Hinge allowed Matthews to remain active on the dating app.
Even after a police report was filed, Match Group did not immediately ban him. Matthews continued to use Hinge to meet new victims. Matthews was eventually convicted on 35 counts related to sexual violence and sentenced to 158 years in prison.
If this were an isolated incident, that would be one thing. It is not. Match Group’s internal records show hundreds of weekly reports of sexual assault across its suite of dating apps. Yet, the company has refused to disclose this data to the public, breaking its 2020 promise to release a transparency report.
Why Match Group May Be Liable for Negligence
No online space or dating app can be completely risk-free. However, companies like Match Group have a legal duty to take reasonable steps to protect their users as much as possible. Exactly what that means is an open question. At a minimum, however, the duty to protect users obligates Match Group to take action when they become aware of repeat offenders using their platforms. Evidence suggests that Match Group:
- Failed to remove or block users who had been reported for sexual assault across multiple apps.
- Did not notify victims or users who had interacted with known offenders, despite tracking these reports internally.
- Allowed banned users to create new profiles with ease, using simple loopholes like changing their email addresses.
- Prioritized corporate profits over safety initiatives, laying off its trust-and-safety team while facing financial pressures.
If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted after meeting someone on Tinder, Hinge, OkCupid, Plenty of Fish, or another Match Group dating app, you may be entitled to compensation.
Uber Driver Sex Assault Lawsuits
The dating app sexual assault lawsuits against Match Group are very similar to the Uber driver sex abuse lawsuits that have been going on for several years. The Uber lawsuits involve allegations that the popular rideshare company negligently failed to screen its drivers for any history of sexual abuse or assault. The plaintiffs in these lawsuits are rideshare passengers (mostly women) who claim that they were sexually assaulted or raped by their Uber driver.
The negligence claims against Match Group in the dating app sexual assault lawsuits will be very similar to the negligence claims against Uber. The Uber driver sex abuse lawsuits have been consolidated into a class action MDL and there are currently over 500 pending cases.
Who Can File a Lawsuit Against Match Group?
A lawsuit against Match Group may be an option if:
- You were sexually assaulted, drugged, or harmed by someone you met on a Match Group dating app.
- The perpetrator had prior reports of sexual assault on the platform, but Match Group failed to remove them.
- You were not warned about the risks, despite Match Group tracking sexual violence on its apps.
- You have suffered physical, emotional, or financial harm as a result of Match Group’s negligence.
Victims of dating app-related assaults may be eligible for financial compensation for medical expenses, emotional distress, lost wages, and other damages.
Potential Settlement Value of Dating App Sex Assault Cases
At this point, the dating app sex assault cases are just getting filed, so estimating their potential settlement value is inherently speculative. However, if we make various assumptions we can estimate the potential settlement payouts in these cases based on settlements in prior cases involving similar claims and injuries.
Most successful dating app sexual assault lawsuits will be very serious, very strong cases. The classic case will involve a situation where a sexual predator was allowed to remain active on the app, despite the dating app being aware of complaints and/or allegations of prior misconduct, and then rapes a victim he lured on the dating app. In that scenario, the liability of the dating app company will be very clear and obvious.
There will only be 2 things that will really impact the settlement value of those types of cases: (1) the nature of the prior complaints about the abuser, and (2) the severity of the sexual assault.
- The Nature of the Prior Complaints
What the dating app knew about the user who committed the assault, and when/how that information was reported will be a significant factor in determining settlement value. For example, let’s say Joe sexually assaults or rapes Jane after setting up a date through Tinder. If Tinder (Match Group) had received 4 prior complaints from other users accusing Joe of rape or sexual assault on prior dates, but allowed Joe to remain active on the app, that would significantly increase the potential settlement value of Jane’s case.
On the other hand, let’s say instead of 4 prior complaints of rape, Tinder received just a single complaint vaguely describing Joe as creepy without any specific allegations of sexual assault. In that scenario its debatable whether there is even a negligence claim at all, so the settlement value of that case will be much lower.
- Severity of the Assault
The other factor that will impact the settlement value will be the severity of the sexual assault suffered by the plaintiff. Cases involving a violent forcible rape and sodomy will have a very high settlement vale. Cases in which the sexual assault was limited to unwanted touching, such as breast groping, will have a much lower settlement value.
Estimated Settlement Payouts
Dating app sexual assault cases at the highest end of the settlement tier will be those involving a very severe assault (e.g., violent rape) and very clear and strong prior complaints. These cases will have a very high settlement value in the range of $2 million to $4 million.
Cases in the next tier down in terms of value would be those in which either the nature of the assault was less severe, or the evidence of prior knowledge is not a strong. These cases could have a potential value of $150,000 to $600,000.
Contact Us About Dating App Sexual Assault Lawsuits
If you have been sexually assaulted or raped by someone you met on a dating app, you might be able to file a lawsuit. Contact our national sex abuse attorneys for a free consultation. Call us at 888-322-3010 or contact us online.