The Federal Trade Commission announced Tuesday that the owners of dating website Match.com have agreed to a $14 million settlement to resolve FTC charges.
The FTC sued Match Group Inc. in 2019 for alleged deceptive practices to obtain subscribers, such as promising a free six-month subscription if they did not “meet someone special,” but did not disclose the requirements. It also alleged the company unfairly suspended users who unsuccessfully filed billing disputes and made it difficult for users to cancel their subscriptions.
In addition to paying the $14 million, Match Group is ordered to clearly disclose the terms of its “six-month guarantee” along with other material restrictions and limitations relating to its guarantees. It is also ordered to refrain from retaliation or threatening to take action against users for filing billing disputes and to provide simple mechanisms to cancel subscriptions.
The order from the Northern District of Texas clarifies that the services included Match Group’s other platforms as well. Along with Match.com, the company owns BlackPeopleMeet, BLK, Chispa, Upward, Yuzu, Salams, The League, HER, Stir, OurTime, OKCupid, Archer and Plenty of Fish.
A Match Group spokesperson said the $14 million represents 5 percent of the FTC’s monetary demand.
“Match Group admits no liability as part of this resolution and was fully prepared to take the case to trial, but opted to resolve the case to put the matter behind it,” a Match Group spokesperson said in a statement. “The FTC’s outdated claims are entirely moot, as the alleged practices at issue ended years ago or are based on mischaracterizations that do not reflect our business today.”
FTC spokesperson Nicole Drayton declined to comment further than the settlement announcement and court order.
Attorneys for Match Group were Sidley Austin partners Angela Zambrano, Chelsea Priest, Mark Hopson, Benjamin Mundel, and senior managing associate Taylor Bragg.
They did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Attorneys for the FTC were Reid Tepfer, Jason Moon, Hasan Aijaz, Erica Hilliard, Nicole Conte and Tammy Chung.
The case is Federal Trade Commission v. Match Group Inc., a corporation, 3:19-cv-02281.
This isn’t the only litigation Match Group is involved in. Last week, the District Court of Delaware granted summary judgment in favor of the company in a patent infringement case.