New York residents may be interested to learn about a sexual harassment lawsuit that is being filed against the dating app Tinder. A former executive for the company has claimed that she was called derogatory names and forced to work in a ‘frat-like” atmosphere before being stripped of her title as co-founder and forced to leave. She has also claimed that she received differing treatment due to gender when she was told that she lost her co-founder title for being a ‘young female.”
Most of the claims in the lawsuit concern the company’s chief marketing officer, but the CEO of the company is also mentioned. The claim states that the chief marketing officer was involved in a brief romantic relationship with the claimant in 2013 that resulted in a personal conflict between the two. Following the breakup of their relationship, the claimant states that personal issues often affected the working environment.
InterActiveCorp, the parent company of Tinder, has released a statement concerning the alleged sexual harassment. A spokesperson for IAC has announced that the chief marketing officer in question has been suspended while an internal investigation is being conducted. Though IAC has admitted to discovering inappropriate private messages that were sent to the claimant, they have also stated that allegations with respect to Tinder’s management are unfounded.
When inappropriate language and treatment becomes part of the daily work environment, employees or former employees may wish to file a sexual harassment lawsuit. An employment law attorney may be able to assist the claimant as they gather material evidence and eyewitness testimony to support their claim.
Source: WSJ, “Dating App Tinder Faces Sexual Harassment Suit“, Evelyn Rusli, June 30, 2014
