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If you were sexually assaulted by someone you met on a dating app, dating website, or through a matchmaking service, you have the right to bring a civil claim against your perpetrator and to recover compensation for the harm you have suffered, separate from any criminal prosecution.
At Rheingold Giuffra Ruffo Plotkin & Hellman LLP, we represent survivors of sexual assault in civil litigation throughout New York City and the surrounding region. Our firm has handled prominent civil sexual assault cases involving Harvey Weinstein, Sean “P Diddy” Combs, Dr. Robert Hadden, and Dr. Darius Paduch. We bring that same investigative depth and trial readiness to a category of cases that has grown sharply over the past decade: sexual assaults committed by perpetrators who used dating apps, online dating platforms, or professional matchmaking services to access their victims.
Are you facing an urgent crisis? Visit our Sexual Abuse Resources Page for emergency assistance and immediate support.
Dating Apps and Matchmaking Services as Vectors for Sexual Assault
Dating platforms now mediate a substantial share of first encounters between adults in the United States. Tinder, Hinge, Bumble, Match, OkCupid, PlentyOfFish, Grindr, and other applications connect millions of users every day. Higher-end matchmaking services, including Tawkify, Three Day Rule, Selective Search, Kelleher International, and It’s Just Lunch, operate on a different model, marketing themselves on the basis of vetted introductions and curated client rosters.
Both models have been associated with serious sexual violence. A peer-reviewed study by researchers at Brigham Young University found that sexual assaults originating from dating application matches occurred faster after initial contact, were more likely to involve violence, and were more likely to target individuals with mental health conditions than assaults arising in other contexts. Investigative reporting and civil litigation in multiple jurisdictions have documented patterns in which the same perpetrators used dating apps across years and platforms, sometimes after being reported by prior victims.
These cases share recurring features that distinguish them from other sexual assault matters. The initial contact between the perpetrator and the survivor is typically preserved in writing. The meeting is often planned with a degree of premeditation visible in the messages. And the platform’s own records may contain evidence of prior reports against the perpetrator that have never been disclosed.
Call (212) 684-1880 or complete our contact form to schedule a free consultation with our sexual abuse and assault lawyers in New York.
Resources for Survivors of Sexual Abuse
What Makes These Cases Legally Distinctive
Civil claims arising from dating app and matchmaker assaults raise legal questions that require careful handling from the outset.
Preservation of digital evidence is time-sensitive
Messages, profile information, location data, and platform records can be lost or deleted within weeks. On many platforms, when a user “unmatches” another user, the entire communication history between them is instantly deleted—a feature that, in practice, can be used by a perpetrator to destroy evidence after an assault. Counsel must move quickly to preserve evidence and, where appropriate, to subpoena platform records before retention windows expire.
The defendant universe is broader than the perpetrator
Civil claims typically name the perpetrator first, but additional defendants may include individuals who facilitated or were present during the assault; owners or operators of premises where the assault occurred, under premises liability theories where security failures contributed; and, in certain matters, the platform or service itself.
Platform liability is constrained, but not impossible
Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act generally shields online platforms from liability for content posted by users, and courts have applied this protection broadly to dating apps. The protection is not absolute. Certain claims may survive Section 230, including claims arising from a platform’s own conduct as distinct from third-party content, claims under federal sex trafficking law (see below), and, in the case of matchmaking services that represent they vet or screen members, claims for deceptive trade practices or negligent misrepresentation.
The factual record relevant to these claims is substantial. A Columbia Journalism Investigations report published with ProPublica in December 2019 documented that Match Group (the parent company of Tinder, Hinge, OkCupid, PlentyOfFish, and more than forty other dating brands) screens paid subscribers on its flagship Match site against state sex offender registries but does not extend that screening to its free platforms. A Match Group spokesperson told the publication, on the record, that “there are definitely registered sex offenders on our free products.” The same investigation analyzed more than 150 incidents of sexual assault involving dating app users and found that nearly every incident involving an accused or convicted perpetrator traced back to a platform that did not conduct registry screening. These practices, and Match Group’s handling of user reports of sexual assault, have been the subject of continuing civil litigation.
The most useful precedent for plaintiffs is Doe v. Match.com, filed in Illinois state court in 2011 and resolved by confidential settlement in 2016. The plaintiff alleged that Match had received a prior rape complaint about the user who later assaulted her, and that the company failed to act on the warning. Match moved to dismiss the negligence claims under Section 230. The court denied the motion, finding that the conduct alleged was outside the third-party content that Section 230 protects. Discovery in that case indicated that Match had been internally tracking accused users and had received approximately 1,300 complaints of physical and sexual violence in the two years preceding the plaintiff’s assault. The case remains an important reference point for civil claims that target a platform’s own conduct, rather than the speech of its users.
Each case requires a specific factual and legal analysis.
Your Rights Under New York Law
New York law provides several civil pathways for survivors of sexual assault, including assaults connected to dating apps and matchmaking services.
Civil claims for sexual offenses
Under CPLR § 213-c, adult survivors of certain sexual offenses defined in the New York Penal Law, including rape in the first and second degree, criminal sexual act in the first and second degree, and aggravated sexual abuse, have 20 years from the date of the offense to commence a civil action, regardless of whether criminal charges were ever filed.
NYC Gender-Motivated Violence Protection Law (GMVA)
The Gender-Motivated Violence Protection Law, codified at NYC Administrative Code §§ 10-1101 through 10-1107, allows victims of crimes of violence motivated by gender, including sexual assault committed because of the victim’s gender or on the basis of gender, to bring civil claims for compensatory and punitive damages, attorneys’ fees, and injunctive relief. Many assaults that originate through dating apps fall within the GMVA because the targeting itself is gender-based.
The GMVA includes a lookback window that allows survivors of previously time-barred gender-motivated violence to bring civil claims that would otherwise be untimely. This lookback window closes in July of 2027. Survivors whose claims may fall under the GMVA should consult counsel without delay. The deadline is approaching, and the statute provides no extension.
Federal claims
In matters involving interstate travel, transportation of victims, or commercial sex acts, federal sex trafficking law, 18 U.S.C. § 1591, may provide additional claims with substantial statutory damages. Matchmaking services that operate across state lines and arrange in-person meetings raise particular questions under this statute, especially where commercial elements are present.
Damages Available in a Civil Claim
Survivors who bring civil claims in this category may recover compensation for:
- Medical expenses, including emergency care, STI testing and treatment, reproductive health care, and ongoing medical needs
- Mental health treatment, including therapy, psychiatric care, and trauma-informed treatment for PTSD, anxiety, and depression
- Lost income and diminished earning capacity arising from the assault and its long-term effects
- Pain and suffering, including emotional distress, humiliation, and loss of enjoyment of life
- Out-of-pocket expenses, including relocation, security measures, and transportation to medical and legal appointments
- Punitive damages where the conduct warrants additional deterrence
For a broader discussion of damages in civil sexual assault claims, see our NYC sexual assault lawyer page.
Why Survivors Choose Our Firm
We have spent decades building a practice in civil sexual assault litigation in New York, including cases involving named, high-profile defendants. As such, our firm has recovered over $250 million for survivors of abuse and sex trafficking. We work with a psychotherapist to ensure that survivors are interviewed and supported in a trauma-informed manner. We invest the firm’s own resources in expert witnesses, private investigators, and forensic specialists when a case requires it. And we represent survivors only; we do not defend the accused.
Contact a New York Civil Sexual Assault Lawyer
If you were assaulted by someone you met on a dating app, dating website, or through a matchmaking service, contact us to schedule a free and confidential consultation. We will listen, explain your legal options, and discuss whether a civil claim—under New York law, the GMVA, federal statutes, or some combination—fits the facts of your case.
If the GMVA lookback window may apply to your matter, do not wait.
Contact us for a 100% free and confidential consultation or call us at (212) 684-1880.
