Woman Sues Match.com For Ten Million Dollars
Mary Kay Beckman joined Match.com seeking a “stable and loving relationship with another member” of the popular dating website. However, in September 2010, the site paired her with Wade Ridley, a man who was wanted for killing an ex-girlfriend in Phoenix. The relationship between Beckman and Ridley lasted for approximately ten days, before Beckman broke up with Ridley. Four months later, Ridley hid in Beckman’s garage and attacked her, thereby causing her serious injuries. Beckman underwent several surgeries thereafter, to repair her jaw, save her eyesight and hearing, and replace part of her skull.
Beckman is now suing Match.com for ten million dollars, based upon theories of negligence, negligent misrepresentation, deceptive trade practices, failure to warn and negligent infliction of emotional distress. Beckman alleges that the site didn’t properly warn her about Ridley, “an individual whose intentions were…to find victims to kill or rape.”
Match.com responded to the lawsuit by stating that what happened to Beckman was “horrible”, but insisted that the site should not be held responsible for the actions of a “sick, twisted individual.” It is worthy to note, that in March of 2012, Match.com, eHarmony and Sparks Networks (operator of JDate and Christian Mingle) announced that they would begin scanning the histories of possible clients for sexual assault, identity theft, and violence, before allowing them access to their fee-based sites. Unfortunately, such history scans were not performed by Match.com at the time that Ridley joined the site.
If you need a personal injury lawyer in Chicago, call the law firm of Cary J. Wintroub & Associates at 312-726-1021, to learn how we can help you!
