Sexual Assault Survivors Sue Hinge and Tinder Parent Company Alleging That Apps Continued to ‘Welcome and Promote’ Serial Rapist After He Was Reported

Six sexual assault survivors have filed a lawsuit against Match Group, the parent company of dating apps Hinge and Tinder, alleging that the company allowed convicted rapist Stephen Matthews to remain on their platforms despite reports about his behavior.

The lawsuit, filed on Wednesday, Dec. 17, in Denver County District Court by six anonymous plaintiffs named as Jane Doe 1-6, alleges that Hinge permitted Matthews to remain on the dating platform after a pattern of predatory behaviors emerged, according to the court filing viewed by PEOPLE.

Five of the survivors met Matthews on Hinge, while another matched with him on Tinder, also owned by Match Group, the suit alleges.

Matthews, a former cardiologist based in Denver, was sentenced to 158 years in prison — the maximum sentence — after being found guilty of drugging 11 women he met on the dating apps and sexually assaulting eight of them, prosecutors said in October 2024.

"This is a lawsuit against the world’s largest online dating monopoly for knowingly recommending serial rapist Dr. Stephen Matthews to women on its platforms, who he then drugged and raped," the first sentence of the lawsuit reads.

The suit alleges that Matthews began drugging and raping women in September of 2020, and that Hinge ignored complaints received about him, per the filing.

It further alleges that even after one woman had reported Matthews to the app for sexual assault, Hinge recommended Matthews' profile to her again.

"For too long Match Group has nearly monopolized online dating and created an industry-wide disregard for the rape of its women members. The serial predation by Stephen Matthews is an extreme example, but our clients bring this lawsuit to demonstrate that every day apps like Hinge and Tinder are used as a hunting ground for violent men," Carrie Goldberg, an attorney representing five of the anonymous plaintiffs, said in a statement shared with PEOPLE.

Alan Shafner of Shafner Injury Law tells PEOPLE in a statement, "This is a very sad and unfortunate situation that occurred at the hands of the world’s largest dating application. Innocent women looking to meet a nice person were matched with a sexual predator on their sites even though they had knowledge that Matthews was drugging and raping women. Instead of permanently banning Matthews they did the opposite. They continued to recommend him to other innocent women who he later sexually assaulted and raped."

Shafner continued, "Match and Tinder had the technology and expertise to stop Matthews. Yet, they did the opposite and acted as an accomplice by allowing Matthews to continue meeting women and remain visible to other victims. Bank robbers rob banks because that’s where the money is. Sexual predators and rapists use dating sites because that’s where their prey is. Hopefully, this lawsuit will give the many victims a voice to bring about real change."

“Any report of sexual assault or violence is heartbreaking and deeply concerning," a spokesperson for Match Group tells PEOPLE in a statement. "Safety is foundational to the trust our users place in us and is critical to the success of our business, which is why we have a comprehensive suite of safety tools in place and continue to invest heavily in this area. We are committed to strengthening our safety efforts, building innovative new technology, and working closely with industry partners to help protect our users. We will always look for ways to improve our systems and help our community stay safe both online and when they connect in real life.”

“I matched with Stephen Matthews on Hinge. I thought I was safe. I thought he was who he said he was. I woke up in a nightmare. I woke up with injuries I will never forget,” one survivor said in a press release, per the outlet. “I learned later that other women had lived the same horror."

Matthews "incapacitated his victims and then sexually assaulted eight of them,” Denver District Attorney Beth McCann said in a news release on Oct. 25. 

“This guy is one of the most prolific serial rapists in the history of the state of Colorado,” former Denver District Attorney Mitch Morrissey said, KDVR reported.

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Matthews' sentence was met in court with cheers and applause by victims who detailed the impact of their assaults during sentencing.

Calling him a "narcissistic monster" and a "serial rapist,” one of the victims who spoke during the sentencing said, "We are now a powerful army of survivors," adding, "and you are nothing,” CBS News reported.

If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, please contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or go to rainn.org.