Does eHarmony Settlement Spell Trouble for the Dating Industry?

(Online Dating Industry Journal) eHarmony's settlement with the State of New Jersey (see news story here) last month could set a dangerous precedent for the online dating industry, according to media and industry analysts.

An article by the San Francisco Chronicle, titled "eHarmony Settlement Erodes Everyone's Freedom" says, in part:

"EHarmony's business plan was focused on what it spent enormous sums of money to research - the key components of male-female partnerships. Demanding that EHarmony accommodate same-sex clients is akin to walking into an Asian grocery store, discovering they don't have kosher meat, and suing for religious discrimination.

The issue here is freedom - specifically, economic freedom and the freedom of association. EHarmony, like any private entity or individual, has the fundamental right to associate with whomever they choose so long as no one else's rights are violated..."

Click here to read the full article.

Dr. James Houran has also weighed in on the issue in a guest editorial at Online Dating Magazine. He says, in part:

"Worse yet, this recent legal development sets the stage for all sorts of other ridiculous challenges based on extreme political correctness. I mean, one astute industry insider rightfully asked, 'When is manhunt.net, outpersonals.com and other gay dating sites going to be forced to cater to heterosexuals?' Or, now can any and all niches site be sued for not being 100% inclusive with its services. I personally don’t know any business that’s 100% inclusive..."

Click here to read the full article.