Dating Platform Owner Seeks Arbitration of ‘Pay-To-Play’ Class Action

SAN FRANCISCO — The owner of several online dating platforms, including Match.com, Hinge and Tinder, has moved to compel arbitration of claims accusing it of using addictive features that trap users in an endless “pay-to-play” loop to increase its profits.

In a July 22 motion filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, Match Group Inc. argues that “each plaintiff agreed multiple times to resolve any disputes related to the platforms exclusively through individual arbitration.”

“To create an account, Plaintiffs were required to agree to the Platforms’ respective Terms of Use (TOU) which contain an …