eHarmony Settles Suit Over Same-Sex Matching

January 27, 2010 By Geoff Duncan

Online dating site eHarmony has agreed to go both ways and settle a lawsuit over same-sex matches...without admitting to any wrongdoing or discrimination.

Online dating service eHarmony has famously promoted itself as a way for people to meet folks who are “deeply compatible” with them on number of levels…but the service has also famously shunned gay, lesbian, and bisexual individuals looking for same-sex partners. About a year ago eHarmony launched a separate same-sex matching service dubbed Compatible Partners, and now the company has agreed to settle a class action discrimination suit brought against it in the state of California…although it’s admitted to no liability or wrongdoing.

Under the proposed settlement, eHarmony will more explicitly connect Compatible Partners with the primary eHarmony service, and enable customers to use both sites without paying double feels. eHarmony will also set up a $2 million settlement fund; about $500,000 will be set aside to pay claims by the members of the class, while the remainder will be donated to a charity to be designated by the court as well as legal costs for the class counsel. Once the settlement is approved, terms for settlement distribution will be sent to class members.

“We are delighted that eHarmony is making its remarkable technology available to the gay and lesbian community in a way that is more welcoming and inclusive,” said co-lead counsel for the plaintiffs Todd Schneider, of Schneider Wallace Cottrell Brayton Konecky LLP.

Under the settlement, the Compatible Partners site will pick up the eHarmony logo and trademark, and the primary eHarmony Web site wil feature a link to “Gay Dating” alongside links for “Senior Dating,” “Jewish Dating,” “Hispanic Dating” and other categories.

eHarmony competes with sites like Match.com, Yahoo Personals, and other online dating services, and claims to differentiate itself based on an extensive questionaire that quantified 29 “dimensions” of compatibility between potential partners.

Showing 6 comments

montyw47 at 3:55pm 12th May 2010 So you guys are saying as long as you are a private company it is OK to discriminate? Hope you are the right orientation, color, and race for them today. When is discrimination BAD?
jen at 3:30pm 10th February 2010 and now http://www.weopia.com is available!
Josh at 2:01am 3rd February 2010 Thank you California! My mind is just reeling with all the lawsuits I will be able file based off of this precedent ... well it is not technically a legal precedent because it was settled outside of court, however it will make filing lawsuits oh so much easier ... Mmmmm I could probably retire in just handful of years thanks to this and a really good education about our legal system.

Sigh ... I really wish companies like eHarmony would show some balls and fight for their rights to serve the niche of their choice without fear of discrimination from consumers with an agenda.
tmdfff at 11:50pm 2nd February 2010 Totally agree...as a private company, eHarmony should be free to discriminate or not as they choose. If there is a viable business option that allows them to make money while not server certain groups of people (and I would argue this includes race, religion, gender, etc.) then that's fine. The market should be left to sort out these issues and ensure that every niche is serviced.
Someone Important at 10:02am 2nd February 2010 This is a bit over the top and sets some pretty rough precedent for anyone who is looking to launch any kind of "niche" business.
Mr. Maxx at 6:54am 28th January 2010 I think the lawsuit was frivolous and the judgment and settlement absurd. eHarmony should not be compelled to facilitate same sex singles anymore than same sex sites and services should be compelled to address straight singles. I suspect I represent the minority opinion here but so be it. This settlement I think sets a terrible precedent. Perhaps now Black people should sue Asian dating sites for not having Black folks in the database and Asians can sue Black dating sites and Latinos and Whites can sue Blacks, Asians and each other and so on.