A new class action lawsuit says Tinder is discriminating against users over 30.
A 30something St. Louis County man is suing Tinder, alleging that the dating app's discounts for members in their twenties are a form of illegal discrimination.
Vinny Troia filed suit against Tinder in federal court last week. His attorney hopes to have Troia's suit certified as a class action lawsuit that will cost the company more than $5 million.
At issue? Discounts given to those under 30 to use "Tinder Plus," which allows users of the otherwise free app access to special features, including the ability to change their location, hide their distance, rewind their last swipe and, yes, hide their age.
For users under 30, Tinder Plus is $9.99 a month. For ones over 30, it's $19.99, the lawsuit says.
And that, it alleges is a huge problem for Tinder under the Missouri Merchandising Practices Act.
Per the suit,
"Defendants’ completely arbitrary and discriminatory pricing scheme offends the same Missouri public policy underlying Missouri’s express prohibitions against age discrimination in multiple other areas, the public policy that all Missouri citizens are entitled to full and equal accommodations, advantages, facilities, privileges, and/or services regardless of factors like age, sex, and/or race; moreover, Defendants’ arbitrary and discriminatory pricing scheme is both 'unethical' and 'unscrupulous.'"Filed by Webster Groves attorney Dan Harvath, the suit aims to represent everyone in Missouri who's over 30 and paid full-price for Tinder Plus — "thousands, if not tens of thousands of individuals," the suit says.
Tinder has been hit with similar lawsuits in other states. Earlier this year, it settled a class action suit in California alleging age discrimination over Tinder Plus for $11.5 million. At the time, Tinder said it would stop the Tinder Plus discounts — but only in California.
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