Six women who say they were drugged and raped by a former Colorado cardiologist have filed a civil lawsuit against Match Group, the parent company of Tinder and Hinge, accusing the dating platforms of negligence and of “accommodating rapists” by allowing a known offender to remain active for years. The suit, filed in Denver district court, alleges that repeated reports about the man were ignored or mishandled, enabling him to continue meeting and assaulting women through the apps, as reported by The Guardian.According to the complaint, Match Group failed to act decisively after receiving multiple reports that Stephen Matthews, a Denver cardiologist, had drugged and sexually assaulted women he met on Hinge.
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The plaintiffs argue that even after assurances that Matthews had been “permanently banned”, his profile remained active or reappeared, allowing him to continue matching with users.The lawsuit claims the company fostered a “breeding ground for sexual predators”, alleging that known abusers were allowed to circulate freely on its platforms without adequate warnings to users.The women also accuse Hinge of operating a “defective” reporting system, arguing that users can unmatch with a victim before a report is filed, causing the reporting option to disappear. The suit further alleges that banned users can easily return to Match Group apps without changing key identifying details such as their name, date of birth or profile photos.
Matthews was first reported to Hinge in 2020, according to the lawsuit, yet remained on dating apps until 2023. In October 2024, he was sentenced to 158 years to life in prison after being convicted on 35 counts related to drugging and sexually assaulting at least 11 women between 2019 and 2023.One plaintiff told CBS News that she met Matthews through Hinge in 2023 and believed she had been drugged shortly after arriving at his home. She later learned that women had reported him to the app years earlier. “Hinge was liable for giving him a platform,” she said, adding that the company had the resources to prevent further harm.The lawsuit draws heavily on an 18-month investigation by the Dating App Reporting Project, which found that Match Group had long been aware of serious safety issues on its platforms but did not publish promised transparency reports or fully address repeat-offender risks.Match Group has said it takes reports of misconduct seriously and is investing in safety measures such as AI moderation, identity verification and cooperation with law enforcement. Company executives have also acknowledged that stricter safety tools can reduce user numbers but say they are necessary for long-term trust.The women are seeking unspecified damages and say the lawsuit is intended to force meaningful changes in how dating apps handle reports of sexual violence. “Using a dating app should not mean accepting preventable danger,” one survivor said.
