In July 2014, the New York City sexual harassment lawyers at the Derek Smith Law Group reported Tinder was involved in a sexual harassment scandal. Now, as of September 2014, the Tinder lawsuit has been settled, without the admission of wrongdoing on Tinder’s executives’ behalf.
Former director of marketing – and alleged co-founder – Whitney Wolfe claimed co-founder Justin Mateen subjected her to a barrage of “sexist, racist and otherwise inappropriate comments, emails and text messages.” Wolfe and Mateen briefly dated prior to the alleged harassment. Wolfe also says she was stripped of her co-founder title because of her gender.
Mateen has now resigned from the company.
“Whitney is proud to be a co-founder of Tinder and of the role that she played in the app’s success,” her attorney David Lowe said in a statement. “She is now pleased to be able to focus her energy, talents, and ideas on exciting new opportunities.”
Wolfe has settled the suit for an undisclosed amount.
Why startups are susceptible to sexual harassment charges
It seems every day, new companies are popping up with new ideas. While startups bring ongoing excitement to tech-savvy consumers, they also are often accompanied by a slew of legal troubles.
A few reasons startups are vulnerable to scandals, harassment, and discrimination are:
- Employees are often young
- Employees are often inexperienced
- Executives have limited management experience
- Proper anti-harassment and anti-discrimination policies aren’t in place
- Executives are uninformed about anti-harassment laws
If you have been harassed in an NYC workplace, consult a sexual harassment lawyer right away. If your claim is successful, you may be entitled to compensation.
The Derek Smith Law Group, PLLC handles a multitude of cases that involve sexual harassment in Manhattan and the greater New York City area. For further information, please feel free to call us at 800-807-2209 for a free consultation.
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