Woman Takes Match.com To Court Over Sexual Predator Screening

May 20, 2011 11:00 PM

Filed under

Consumer, Heard On Radio, Local, News, Watch + Listen

Photo Galleries

'Carmageddon II'

Car Snapped: Celebrities On The Go

CBSLA Hurricane Relief Telethon

Cute Dogs And Cars

LOS ANGELES (CBS) — A woman who says she was raped by a man she met on Match.com wants the online dating site to stop accepting new members until a sexual-predator screening system is installed.

KNX 1070′s Ed Mertz Reports

Lawyers for television/film producer Carole Markin, of Hollywood, filed a request for a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction in Los Angeles Superior Court last month to speed Match.com’s promised implementation of sexual predator screening.

Match.com then had the hearing moved to federal court in Los Angeles.

Markin’s attorney, Mark L. Webb, says he has subpoenaed his client and her alleged assailant, Alan Paul Wurtzel, as well as Match.com president Mandy Ginsberg to testify at Monday’s hearing before U.S. District Judge Stephen V. Wilson.

“The issue of sex offender screening has never before been presented to a court,” Webb said. “Because Match.com moved this case to federal court, we now have the extraordinary opportunity of obtaining a federal guideline by which to measure sex offender screening in online dating services.”

Officials at Match.com said the company would begin cross-referencing members against the National Sex Offender Registry, a process which Webb contends could take months to implement.

Markin says she met Wurtzel on Match.com in 2010, and that, after they went out twice, he raped her in her apartment.

Afterward, the woman checked up on Wurtzel, and found out he had previous sexual battery convictions, according to Webb.

Wurtzel has been charged and is awaiting trial. His attorney, Sharon Morris, says that Wurtzel and Markin had a “consensual encounter.”

Markin, who was initially identified in court papers as “Jane Doe,” said she went public with a series of media appearances because, “I want to prevent something like this happening to another woman.”

Woman Takes Match.com To Court Over Sexual Predator Screening

krg

She could have checked up on him BEFORE she went out with him. HOw about instead of wasting the courts time she do something about educating people on how to date safely? This is NOT Match’s responsibility and it’s time people in this country start taking some SELF responsibility for their actions.
nots

Totally agree 100% with (krg). Nobody told her to go online to find a man. It’s her fault for doing such a stupid thing. Take responsibility for YOUR actions. I bet if she found a millionaire at match.com she would’nt of have gone to say “thank you match.com, here take this money”.
BFS

Two dates and he’s in her apartment? If she didn’t consent then it was wrong no matter what. However you don’t let someone you met online, dating site or not in your apartment that quickly.
sam

Why was he in her apartment on the SECOND date?….idiot
Crystal

The only problem i see is that 50% of sexual predators/pedifiles go unknown because the people are to scared to report them. Therefore they are NOT going to be in the books. You just have to be extremely carefully and use your senses,
Karen

I am so over it. She went out with him TWICE – 2 TIMES – and brought HIM to HER APT. Then accuses him AFTER she looks up some public info? What is her problem? Notice how the article mentions she’s a producer. She obviously needs work and is going for the attention angle.
Joshua

It amazes me that regardless of her lack of judgment you are all so quick to judge her and most of you are women. That is just plain sad. We live in a world where the victim is no longer a victim. So if she would have waited a month and then invited him in , then it would be ok right? You all make me sick. Women can be raped at anytime in any place and I would hate to have you all on the jury panel because the defendant would walk free only to go and kill someone later. Just a shame.

swhitS

No, he would not go free. Her stupidity does not warrant getting raped however, blaming Match.com for HER lack of action of not checking him out is not warranted.

I checked out Match and on the front page it states:
Online Dating Safety tips
Dating Articles and Advice
I didn’t read because I am not interested in giving any info to the site but I am willing to bet they have a disclaimer.
crystal

your absolutly right… it doesnt matter if you know a person for a really long time, they can always turn on you. its not this ladies fault, i wasnt judging her, i would never judge someone. but it is really upsetting seeing most of these people put this lady down like it was her fault.

Johndoe

She should try yahoo personals this time. Lol!
Anthonyd Smith

Don’t worry. He won’t need Match.com in prison. Or a date for that matter. what goes around comes around.
mister s

This is ridiculous. You can’t hold the website responsible. If she had met the guy at a club would she be suing them? If match.com starts requiring identity verification and then background checks, their business will be finished, prospective users don’t want that hassle.

diosdado1001

I agree wth you. match.com should not responsible. As you said, i a woman meets a guy at church, nightclub, on the bus, or anywhere, then she starts dating this guy and turns out to rape her, she cannot sue the place where she met him. She seems to be a professional and she should have allowed more time before she invited him in. Normal people usually wait longer to take someone into their apt.

Figures

MySpace allows known predators, who even post inmate numbers, to open account online to find women.

I turned one such account in to the DA. It was reported to Myspace to be against the TOS.

Did they take it down?

No.

They don’t want enemies.

These companies DO need to be held accountable.
http://www.datinggirlswebsite.info/526/the-woman-looks-at-match-com-the-right-to-sexual-assault-screening/ The woman looks at Match. Com the right to sexual assault screening | Dating Girls Website

[...] Read more on CBS 2 Los Angeles [...]
Lillith

As Match.com is a dating website and not your run of the mill social networking site, I’m surprised this hasn’t come up before. I feel they have a responsibility to prescreen members beforehand and sexual predators should not be allowed to join. It does not matter the number of dates this woman went on. Online dating should be a better, safer way of meeting someone than in a bar-that’s the whole idea right? Screening should be a part of the deal.
Sleeper

Has everyone forgotten that these sexual predators are not only of the male portion of society?
If your going to check men then guess what you need to check woman also as you did get your equal rights under the law your not immune from the same scrutiny and or protection of society hell you fought for it. Equal protection under the law period end of story. This is not a woman bashing deal either I love my wife so step off!!
http://www.themillionairesclub.co.za/match-com-alleged-rape-victim-carole-markin-sues-dating-website-comes-up-short/ Match.com alleged rape victim, Carole Markin, sues dating website, comes up short | The Millionaires Club

[...] Lawyers for Markin filed a request for a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction in Los Angeles Superior Court last month to speed up Match.com’s promised implementation of sexual predator screening, reports CBS station KCBS. [...]