eHarmony Settles Gay Lawsuit

Christian dating site eHarmony has finally settled the class action lawsuit which claimed that the company discriminated against gays in California by not letting them use the site.

Under a proposed settlement filed Tuesday in Los Angeles Superior Court, eHarmony will link its straight and gay Web sites and allow people to use both without paying double fees. Plaintiff's attorney Todd Schneider says the company also agreed to pay about $500,000 to an estimated 150 Californians to settle the class-action suit, plus around $1.5 million in court and attorney's fees. The company didn't admit any wrongdoing. A judge must approve the settlement. A court date is scheduled for Feb. 3.

Last year the company was forced to launch a gay dating site called Compatible Partners as part of the settlement of a similar lawsuit brought by a New Jersey man.

E-Harmony's "Shotgun Wedding" Launches

Last year a New Jersey man successfully sued Christian-run dating site E-Harmony under his state's anti-discrimination laws. As part of their settlement, today the site launches their LGBT dating campaign.

As of today, EHarmony comes out of the closet. The adamantly heterosexual dating website, which has accepted only male-female couples since its inception in 2000, is launching a gay matchmaking service called Compatible Partners. But EHarmony's new relationship with the gay community is more like a shotgun wedding: The company agreed in November to start the dating service as part of a settlement with the New Jersey attorney general in the wake of a discrimination suit. Dating site consultant Mark Brooks says Compatible Partners will be watched closely. "This will be one of the most scrutinized products in Internet dating," said Brooks, who hasn't worked for EHarmony. "They will have to introduce an A1 product."

Do you really want to give them your money?