Support for LAist comes from
Local and national news, NPR, things to do, food recommendations and guides to Los Angeles, Orange County and the Inland Empire
Stay Connected
Listen

Share This

KPCC Archive

eHarmony agrees to settle case alleging discrimination against gays

Congress has cut federal funding for public media — a $3.4 million loss for LAist. We count on readers like you to protect our nonprofit newsroom. Become a monthly member and sustain local journalism.

The online dating service eHarmony.com agreed today to settle a class-action lawsuit alleging it discriminated against gays.

The proposed settlement filed in Los Angeles Superior Court calls for eHarmony to link its straight and gay Web site, called Compatible Partners, and allow bisexual members to use both sites without paying double fees.

Plaintiffs' attorney Todd Schneider said the company would pay $500,000 to an estimated 150 Californians to settle the class-action suit, plus around $1.5 million in court and attorney's fees.

California residents who filed written complaints with the company stand to receive $4,000 each from the settlement funds, he said. A judge must sign off on the settlement. A court date is scheduled for Feb. 3.

Support for LAist comes from

Founded in 2000, the Web site did not provide same-sex matching services until last year.

As part of the California agreement, the Compatible Partners site would display the eHarmony logo in a prominent position and state that the service is supplied by eHarmony, Schneider said.

As Editor-in-Chief of our newsroom, I’m extremely proud of the work our top-notch journalists are doing here at LAist. We’re doing more hard-hitting watchdog journalism than ever before — powerful reporting on the economy, elections, climate and the homelessness crisis that is making a difference in your lives. At the same time, it’s never been more difficult to maintain a paywall-free, independent news source that informs, inspires, and engages everyone.

Simply put, we cannot do this essential work without your help. Federal funding for public media has been clawed back by Congress and that means LAist has lost $3.4 million in federal funding over the next two years. So we’re asking for your help. LAist has been there for you and we’re asking you to be here for us.

We rely on donations from readers like you to stay independent, which keeps our nonprofit newsroom strong and accountable to you.

No matter where you stand on the political spectrum, press freedom is at the core of keeping our nation free and fair. And as the landscape of free press changes, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust, but the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news from our community.

Please take action today to support your trusted source for local news with a donation that makes sense for your budget.

Thank you for your generous support and believing in independent news.

Chip in now to fund your local journalism
A row of graphics payment types: Visa, MasterCard, Apple Pay and PayPal, and  below a lock with Secure Payment text to the right
(
LAist
)

Trending on LAist