Bumble Trading Inc. will pay $22.5 million to settle a class action by users of its dating app over its cancellation and automatic renewal practices, under the terms of a settlement given final approval by the Northern District of California.
Attorneys for the class will receive $6.1 million in fees—27% of the total settlement fund—and $15,000 for reimbursement of litigation costs.
Class representatives Nick King Jr., Deena Fischer, and Elena Weinberger will also receive service awards of $5,000 each to be deducted from the settlement fund.
The settlement includes a nationwide class and a California class of people who purchased Bumble’s premium service during the settlement class period.
California class members who made valid claims will recover $50.00 per claim on average, while nationwide class members are estimated to recover $37.00, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California said.
Bumble provides dating services by matching its users using a proprietary algorithm. Users provide Bumble with personal information when they sign up, such as their names, addresses, and photographs.
In addition to the basic Bumble app, the company offers a premium, paid service called “Bumble Boost,” with weekly and monthly subscriptions allowing users to view others with similar interests, and other features.
The plaintiffs alleged they purchased Bumble Boost, and were denied refunds after they asked to cancel the product.
One of the plaintiffs alleged he was denied a refund after he informed Bumble that he hadn’t authorized five auto-renewing weekly payments.
The plaintiffs alleged that Bumble failed to notify them of their right to cancel their contracts and instead maintains that all purchases are non-refundable.
The complaint also alleged that Bumble failed to disclose its automatic renewal terms, or obtain consent for automatic renewal.
Judge Nathanael M. Cousins issued the order granting final approval Dec. 18.
Parasmo Lieberman Law and Parisi and Havens LLP represent the plaintiffs.
Cooley LLP represents Bumble.
The case is King v. Bumble Trading Inc., N.D. Cal., No. 18-cv-06868, 12/18/20.
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