bonnie Posted July 2, 2016 Share Posted July 2, 2016 ChristianMingle Opens Doors to Gay Singles Under Settlement PHOTO: SPARK NETWORKS LLC By JACOB GERSHMAN AND SARA RANDAZZO Jun 30, 2016 3:20 pm ET 0 COMMENTS The owner of online dating site ChristianMingle.com has agreed to let gay and lesbian users search for same-sex matches under a judge-approved settlement of discrimination claims. Two gay men filed class-actions claims against Spark Networks Inc. in California courts in 2013 alleging that ChristianMingle.com and several other sites in the company’s portfolio of niche dating services excluded users looking to meet singles of the same sex. ChristianMingle, billed as the largest online community for Christian singles, required new users to specify whether they’re a man seeking a woman or a woman seeking a man. The lead plaintiffs, two gay men who tried using it, claimed that the limited options violated California’s anti-discrimination law. Known as the Unruh Civil Rights Act, the state law requires “business establishments” to offer “full and equal accommodations” to people regardless of their sexual orientation. Under the agreement, the gateway homepages now ask just whether a user is a “man” or a “woman.” Spark Networks agreed that within two years, it would adjust other searching and profile features to give gay and lesbian singles a more tailored experience. The terms approved by a state judge on Monday also apply to other Spark sites— including CatholicMingle.com, AdventistSinglesConnection.com and BlackSingles.com— that had operated in the same way. Spark Networks also owns the popular online Jewish matchmaker JDate.com, which wasn’t part of the litigation. Spark Networks agreed to pay each plaintiff $9,000 each and $450,000 in attorneys’ fees to the two men’s lawyers. The company didn’t admit any wrongdoing as part of the agreement, which was earlier reported by the Daily Journal legal newspaper. “I am gratified that we were able to work with Spark to help ensure that people can fully participate in all the diverse market places that make our country so special, regardless of their sexual orientation,” one of the lead plaintiffs’ attorneys, Vineet Dubey of Custodio & Dubey LLP, said in a statement. A representative of Spark Networks said the company was “pleased to resolve this litigation.” Share this: CALIFORNIA CHRISTIANMINGLE.COM DI Quote Everything you do is based on the choices you make. It's not your parents, your past relationships, your job, the economy, the weather, an argument, or your age that is to blame. You and only you are responsible for every decision and choice you make, period ... ... Wish more people would realize this. Quotes by Susan Gottesman Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Outta Here Posted July 2, 2016 Share Posted July 2, 2016 I read this and just see greedy lawyers using two gay men as pawns to make the $$$. It seems to me that a dating website open to ALL people could have been started up for less than the $450,000. What a waste of time and money. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bonnie Posted July 2, 2016 Author Share Posted July 2, 2016 The two gay men approached the "greedy lawyers". I doubt that the lawyer dragged them in off the street and forced them to approve the lawsuit. It isnt any different than the bakery lawsuits. Rossw 1 Quote Everything you do is based on the choices you make. It's not your parents, your past relationships, your job, the economy, the weather, an argument, or your age that is to blame. You and only you are responsible for every decision and choice you make, period ... ... Wish more people would realize this. Quotes by Susan Gottesman Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bonnie Posted July 2, 2016 Author Share Posted July 2, 2016 I would be surprised if there arent already dating sites open to all. But lets search for the ones that arent, claim discrimination and sue Rossw 1 Quote Everything you do is based on the choices you make. It's not your parents, your past relationships, your job, the economy, the weather, an argument, or your age that is to blame. You and only you are responsible for every decision and choice you make, period ... ... Wish more people would realize this. Quotes by Susan Gottesman Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pierrepaul Posted July 6, 2016 Share Posted July 6, 2016 On 2016-07-02 at 10:59 AM, Aubrey said: I read this and just see greedy lawyers using two gay men as pawns to make the $$$. It seems to me that a dating website open to ALL people could have been started up for less than the $450,000. What a waste of time and money. As an attorney I can assure you that greedy lawyers far prefer to have deep-pocketed clients who deposit a retainer and pay their bills every month rather than dealing with the precarious finances of class action litigation and having to wait three years or more to get paid. Undertaking a complex class action suit against a wealthy defendant on behalf of clients who don't "pay-as-you-go" and supporting all the costs of the litigation (research, overhead, staff) in the hopes that several years down the road a judge may order the other party to pay the fees is not something generally done out of a sense of "greed". Quote God never said "Thou shalt not think". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bonnie Posted July 6, 2016 Author Share Posted July 6, 2016 This isn't about greedy lawyers or money. Anymore than suing a bakery for not making a cake celebrating a gay wedding. You might notice there are never any lawsuits against Muslim businesses. Have the gays tried to force the muslim only online dating sites? Doubtful Quote Everything you do is based on the choices you make. It's not your parents, your past relationships, your job, the economy, the weather, an argument, or your age that is to blame. You and only you are responsible for every decision and choice you make, period ... ... Wish more people would realize this. Quotes by Susan Gottesman Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Outta Here Posted July 7, 2016 Share Posted July 7, 2016 Hence..."I read this and see..." Never said I was correct. Just stating the way I see it; you know, just sharing my opinion like everyone else does. I don't care if anyone agrees with me or assures me that my opinions are wrong. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bonnie Posted July 7, 2016 Author Share Posted July 7, 2016 There are black online dating sites, muslim only, gay or queer dating sites. Have never heard of any of them being sued for the almighty dollar Quote Everything you do is based on the choices you make. It's not your parents, your past relationships, your job, the economy, the weather, an argument, or your age that is to blame. You and only you are responsible for every decision and choice you make, period ... ... Wish more people would realize this. Quotes by Susan Gottesman Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rossw Posted July 8, 2016 Share Posted July 8, 2016 On 7/6/2016 at 10:03 AM, pierrepaul said: As an attorney I can assure you that greedy lawyers far prefer to have deep-pocketed clients who deposit a retainer and pay their bills every month rather than dealing with the precarious finances of class action litigation and having to wait three years or more to get paid. Undertaking a complex class action suit against a wealthy defendant on behalf of clients who don't "pay-as-you-go" and supporting all the costs of the litigation (research, overhead, staff) in the hopes that several years down the road a judge may order the other party to pay the fees is not something generally done out of a sense of "greed". Are there not activist attorneys? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pierrepaul Posted July 8, 2016 Share Posted July 8, 2016 There are many "activist" attorneys. However, they tend not to be greedy; the greedy attorneys tend to gravitate towards the far more lucrative and remunerative fields of work - securities compliance, tax, mergers and acquisitions, banking/secured asset lending, insurance - all of which pay generally far more than devoting one's career to "activist" causes. Rossw 1 Quote God never said "Thou shalt not think". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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