The eHarmony auto-renewal lawsuit refers to a 2018 California consumer protection case that ended with the dating site paying roughly $2.3 million to settle allegations it enrolled subscribers in automatically renewing memberships without clear disclosure or consent.1City of Santa Monica. eHarmony Settles Consumer Protection Case With California Prosecutors A separate, broader case brought by Australian regulators in 2023 alleges similar conduct continued for years after the California settlement and is now awaiting judgment.2ACCC. ACCC Court Action Against eHarmony for Alleged Misleading Online Dating Membership Statements If you were charged by eHarmony and feel you never agreed to it, the sections below explain what the cases cover, who qualified for refunds, and why many subscribers today still get billed after they believe they have cancelled.
The 2018 California Settlement
The case was brought by a task force made up of the Santa Monica City Attorney’s Office and the district attorneys of Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Napa, and Shasta counties. Prosecutors alleged eHarmony violated California’s Automatic Renewal Law, found at Business and Professions Code sections 17600 through 17606, by failing to adequately disclose renewal terms, failing to explain cancellation procedures, and engaging in false advertising.3Justia. California Business and Professions Code Sections 17600-176064Santa Monica Daily Press. City Reaches Settlement With eHarmony on Auto-Renewals
The final judgment was filed on January 8, 2018, in Santa Cruz County Superior Court under case number 17-cv-03314.5Top Class Actions. eHarmony Agrees $2.3M Settlement Auto Renewal Terms The $2.28 million total broke into a $1.28 million civil penalty paid to the participating local governments and up to $1 million in restitution for affected California customers.6SFGate. eHarmony to Pay Out Millions in Settlement to California Customers eHarmony did not admit wrongdoing.4Santa Monica Daily Press. City Reaches Settlement With eHarmony on Auto-Renewals
Who Qualified for Refunds
The settlement covered California subscribers who signed up for automatic renewal or continuous service plans between March 10, 2012, and December 13, 2016, and who were either charged without consent or denied refunds after trying to cancel.4Santa Monica Daily Press. City Reaches Settlement With eHarmony on Auto-Renewals7Olshan Frome Wolosky LLP. eHarmony Auto-Renewal Settlement5Top Class Actions. eHarmony Agrees $2.3M Settlement Auto Renewal Terms The claims window has long since closed; the information matters now mainly as a benchmark for what California law treats as unlawful.
What eHarmony Had to Change
The judgment imposed detailed subscription-practice requirements going forward. Automatic renewal terms must be presented clearly and conspicuously before a subscription is processed, in text more prominent than the surrounding content.1City of Santa Monica. eHarmony Settles Consumer Protection Case With California Prosecutors Consent must be captured through a separate checkbox, signature, or similar mechanism placed near the renewal terms, with no unrelated information cluttering the disclosure. A transaction confirmation email must go out immediately after purchase, with a subject line identifying it as such and a clear summary of the renewal terms.7Olshan Frome Wolosky LLP. eHarmony Auto-Renewal Settlement Cancellation has to be available through a toll-free number, email, or another easy mechanism, and must take effect within one business day.
The settlement also folded in California’s dating services contract law, which gives consumers three business days to cancel without penalty after signing a dating contract and limits payment terms to no more than two years unless the subscription itself runs a year or less.7Olshan Frome Wolosky LLP. eHarmony Auto-Renewal Settlement
The Australian Case Still in Court
On September 7, 2023, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) filed suit against eHarmony Inc. in the Federal Court of Australia, alleging a pattern of misleading conduct dating back to at least November 2019. The allegations go beyond the California case and group into four areas.2ACCC. ACCC Court Action Against eHarmony for Alleged Misleading Online Dating Membership Statements
Subscription traps: the ACCC says eHarmony left consumers with the impression that memberships ran for a fixed 6, 12, or 24 months while burying automatic renewal in small font deep in the purchase flow, with renewal prices sometimes hundreds of dollars higher than the original.8Mirage News. ACCC Sues eHarmony Over Alleged Deceptive Practices Misleading “free dating” claims: free members were advertised as able to communicate, but could not send or read text messages, could not view unblurred photos, and were limited to actions like sending a single smiley.9The Guardian. ACCC Sues eHarmony Over False Advertising of Free Dating Pricing deception: “from $xx/month” prices allegedly omitted a mandatory $3 monthly installment fee. False cancellation claims: for more than three and a half years starting September 2019, the site suggested a one-month membership option that did not exist, and for at least two years starting August 2019 it told users they could “try before you buy” and withdraw.2ACCC. ACCC Court Action Against eHarmony for Alleged Misleading Online Dating Membership Statements
eHarmony has argued that its web pages, read in full, do not convey the misrepresentations alleged, that renewal terms appear in the site’s terms and conditions, and that a warning about automatic renewal sits directly above the “subscribe” button. The company’s counsel also told the court that four out of five first-time subscribers opt out of automatic renewal.10The Guardian. eHarmony’s Auto-Renewal Subscription Federal Court Case The liability hearing opened on June 2, 2025 and concluded in June 2026, with judgment expected by the end of 2026. The ACCC is seeking financial penalties, declarations of breach, injunctions, consumer redress, and legal costs.11Maddocks. Breaking Up With eHarmony: It’s Complicated
Why Subscribers Still Get Billed After Cancelling
The 2018 settlement reformed how eHarmony sells subscriptions, but complaints have continued. As of mid-2026, the Better Business Bureau lists 1,849 complaints filed against eHarmony in the prior three years, with 546 closed in the most recent twelve months. Of the total, 432 involve billing and 199 involve order disputes. About 11 percent were marked “Resolved,” while most were “Answered,” meaning the company responded but the consumer did not accept the outcome.12BBB. eHarmony Inc. BBB Complaints
The pattern has shifted since 2018. Today, the typical complaint comes from a subscriber who believes they have cancelled and then finds eHarmony still charging them. The company points to Section 12.a of its Terms and Conditions, which states that cancelling automatic renewal does not relieve the subscriber of the obligation to pay the remaining installments on the current subscription term.13BBB. eHarmony Inc. BBB Complaints In practical terms: if you bought a 12-month plan paid monthly and you turn off auto-renewal in month three, eHarmony’s position is that you still owe the remaining nine months of your original term. Unpaid balances have been referred to collection agencies.
If you want out, that distinction is the one to understand. Turning off auto-renewal stops the next cycle. It does not, in eHarmony’s reading of its contract, end the current one. California subscribers who signed up to an installment plan should check whether the two-year payment cap and the three-day cancellation window in the state’s dating services law apply to their contract.
Current California Rules on Auto-Renewing Subscriptions
California’s automatic renewal statute has been tightened since the eHarmony settlement. Amendments to Business and Professions Code Section 17602, effective July 1, 2025, require annual reminder notices for auto-renewing agreements and a “click to cancel” mechanism for online subscriptions, with a prominently located cancellation link or button.14FindLaw. California Business and Professions Code Section 17602 A federal “Click to Cancel” rule finalized by the FTC in early 2025 was vacated by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit on procedural grounds; the FTC began a new rulemaking in March 2026 and continues to bring enforcement actions under its existing authority in the meantime.15Jones Day. FTC Revives Click-to-Cancel Rule: New Risks for Subscription Businesses
If you believe eHarmony charged you in violation of these rules, you can file a complaint with the California Attorney General’s office, your local district attorney’s consumer protection unit, or the Federal Trade Commission. The 2018 settlement claim window is closed, so recovery today depends on either eHarmony’s own refund process, a chargeback through your card issuer, or a complaint to a regulator.