Judge OKs $22.5M Bumble Auto-Renewal Class Action Settlement

A California judge recently granted preliminary approval to a $22.5 million Bumble class action lawsuit settlement to resolve claims of unfair auto-renewal policies.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Nathanael M. Cousins gave Bumble and subscriber plaintiffs preliminary approval for a proposed class action settlement worth $22.5 million. Judge Cousins determined that, upon preliminary examination of the settlement terms, the deal appears “fair, reasonable, and adequate,” agreeing with the plaintiffs’ assertion that the recovery is an “excellent” outcome.

The Bumble class action lawsuit will benefit two Classes:

• The California ARL Class includes California individuals who purchased a Bumble Boost subscription and were charged for the subscription as part of Bumble’s auto-renewal program.
• The New York DSL Class includes individuals around the country who purchased Bumble Boost.

Under the terms of the settlement, Class Members will be able to recover a pro rata portion of the net settlement fund after fees and costs are deducted. For California ARL Class Members, payments are estimated to be between $43 and $85. For New York DSL Class Members, payments are estimated to be between $21 and $44.

In order to benefit from the settlement, Class Members will need to file a valid claim form by Nov. 23, 2020. The claim form will likely be available through a settlement website that has yet to be established.

In exchange for the cash benefits provided by the Bumble class action settlement, the dating website will be able to escape the claims brought against them in the plaintiffs’ class action lawsuit.

The group of California plaintiffs filed their Bumble class action lawsuit in November 2018, alleging that the dating app had violated the state’s auto-renewal laws and dating service laws.

According to the plaintiffs, Bumble failed to properly inform consumers of their rights.

“The Terms do not inform consumers of their right to cancel the contract, without penalty or obligation, within three business days, as required under California’s dating service contract law,” the Bumble auto-renew class action lawsuit argued.

The plaintiffs also took issue with the dating app’s automatic renewal policies. According to the Bumble class action lawsuit, the dating platform automatically renews subscriptions for their premium service – Bumble Boost – without informing subscribers.

These subscriptions range from $8.99 to $139.99, depending on the length of the subscription period – from one week to six months. The plaintiffs argue that, due to the website’s failure to get consent, consumers are surprised when these charges hit their bank accounts.

“Bumble has a uniform policy and practice of automatically renewing consumers’ premium subscriptions without obtaining affirmative consent prior to the consumer’s purchase, without providing the auto-renewal terms in a clear and conspicuous manner prior to the purchase, and without providing an acknowledgement identifying an easy and efficient mechanism for consumers to cancel their subscriptions,” the Bumble auto-renewal class action lawsuit claimed.

Bumble previously tried to dismiss the claims against them, but the class action lawsuit survived both of the company’s attempts. Afterward, the class action lawsuit proceeded to discovery.

However, in June, both parties in the Bumble class action lawsuit filed their joint settlement motion.

Bumble has not admitted to any wrongdoing alleged in the class action lawsuit, but has agreed to pay $22.5 million to resolve the claims against them.

In addition to providing cash payments, the Bumble class action lawsuit includes an 18-month injunction. The dating app has agreed to make changes to both its terms and conditions and its disclosures for Bumble Boost subscriptions.

From the $22.5 million settlement fund, Class counsel plan to ask for up to 27% of the settlement fund, or around $6 million, to compensate them for attorneys’ fees and court costs.

The deadline for exclusion and objection to the Bumble class action settlement is Nov. 13, 2020. The final approval hearing for the Bumble class action settlement is scheduled for Dec. 16. During the preliminary approval hearing held through Zoom, Judge Cousins noted that the final approval hearing would also need to be held remotely “unless there’s a miraculous cure” for the current coronavirus outbreak by December.

Have you used Bumble? Were you charged auto-renewal fees unexpectedly? Share your experiences in the comment section below.

Top Class Actions will post updates to this class action settlement as they become available. For the latest updates, keep checking TopClassActions.com or sign up for our free newsletter. You can also receive notifications when this article is updated by using your free Top Class Actions account and clicking the “Follow Article” button at the top of the post.

The Class is represented by Yitzchak Hillel Lieberman and Grace E. Parasmo of Parasmo Lieberman Law and David C. Parisi of Parisi & Havens LLP.

The Bumble Auto-Renewal Class Action Lawsuit is Nick King Jr., et al. v. Bumble Trading Inc., et al., Case No. 5:18-cv-06868, in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.

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