Planet-Love.com Searchable Archives
March 29, 2024, 07:29:25 AM *
Welcome, Guest. Please login or register.

Login with username, password and session length
News: This board is a BROWSE and SEARCH only board. Please IGNORE the Registration - no registration necessary. No new posts allowed. It contains the archived posts from the Planet-Love.com website from approximately 2001 through 2005.
 
   Home   Help Search Login Register  
Pages: [1]   Go Down
  Print  
Author Topic: Agency fine for failure to screen male client  (Read 4408 times)
Patrick
Guest
« on: November 19, 2004, 05:00:00 AM »

Friday, November 19, 2004

BALTIMORE — A jury has hit an Internet matchmaker with a fine of up to $434,000 for a relationship that ended in alleged abuse.

A federal jury in Baltimore sided with Nataliya Fox against Encounters International (http://www.encount.com/). She accused the company of fraud and negligence, saying it should have screened its male clients.

She also says the company's owner told her to endure the alleged abuse or go home to Ukraine. She says she wasn't told about a law that helps foreign nationals escape abusive relationships without fear of automatic deportation.

The agency says it had no obligation to tell Fox of the law. The owner says Fox made up the abuse allegations to get a U.S. visa.

Fox married her match less than three months after meeting him through the service.

She says a two-hour beating sent her to the hospital in 2000.

The husband was charged criminally, but had his record cleared after taking a class.

Logged
Craigjjs
Guest
« Reply #1 on: November 19, 2004, 05:00:00 AM »

... in response to Agency fine for failure to screen male c..., posted by Patrick on Nov 19, 2004

The article does not provide much information.  On first blush I would be surprised if claim like this even made it to a jury.  After looking at the agency website, however, I see they make a big deal about how they screen their ladies and I suspect they tell the ladies that the guys are screened.  I suspect that the guy had a record of past problems and the agency did not look into it or ignored it and cashed his $1800 check.  

It is not easy to get to a jury on a fraud claim.  You have to show that the defendant lied or intentionally withheld information for the purpose of deceiving the plaintiff.  Also, fraud claims are not proved by a preponderance of evidence, like with Judge Judy, you must prove them by "clear and convincing evidence", a higher burden of proof.  So, the plaintiff must have had a pretty good case.

The bottom line.  The agency is probably a corporation with no substantial assets and will disappear only to pop up again with a new corporate owner.  The case has been in the courts for a while and I am sure the owners have taken steps to protect their assets.  I doubt the plaintiff will actually pocket very much.

Craig

Logged
Robert D
Guest
« Reply #2 on: November 19, 2004, 05:00:00 AM »

... in response to Agency fine for failure to screen male c..., posted by Patrick on Nov 19, 2004

terrible story, sorry about the poor lady.  sounds like she had a bad time, and there is no excuse for what the jerk that beat her did. But I do not know how the agency could have determined what this guy was about.   Some people are jerks.  I was in a bar the other night and a guy in hospital gear (a doctor or intern more likely, trying to impress anyone and everyone) had too many beers.  A young guy from Austrailia asked him "so what's with the costume"? joking and not being mean about  at all.  The jerk, threw his beer at him.  Otherwise the doctor looked normal clean etc.  But I suspect he had serious mental problems, and just about got his butt kicked.  I suspect if he showed up at an agency and filled out information, he would seem presentable, ok etc.  But he was a psycho for sure.  

Robert D

Logged
cherokee
Guest
« Reply #3 on: November 19, 2004, 05:00:00 AM »

... in response to Agency fine for failure to screen male c..., posted by Patrick on Nov 19, 2004

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=519&ncid=718&e=9&u=/ap/20041119/ap_on_re_us/internet_dating
Logged
Pages: [1]   Go Up
  Print  
 
Jump to:  

Powered by MySQL Powered by PHP Powered by SMF 1.1 RC2 | SMF © 2001-2005, Lewis Media Valid XHTML 1.0! Valid CSS!