Carole Markinwho was allegedly assaulted by Alan Wurtzel, 67, settles Match.com lawsuit.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A woman who sued Match.com after being sexually assaulted by a man she met on the dating website settled her lawsuit on Tuesday when she saw proof that the site was screening its members for sexual predators.

Carole Markin sued the website when she found out her attacker had been convicted of sexual battery. She did not seek monetary damages in her lawsuit, just a court order requiring the site to check its members' backgrounds to weed out convicted sex offenders.

"If I save one woman from being attacked, I'm happy," Markin said. "I went into this lawsuit to protect other people, and it worked."

Robert Platt, an attorney for the site, said Match.com has begun checking its members against state and federal sex-offender databases.

Last week Alan Wurtzel, 67, pleaded no contest to assaulting Markin. He could face a year in jail, five years of probation and a lifetime registration as a sex offender when he is sentenced Sept. 19.

Prosecutors said that on their second date last year, Wurtzel drove Markin to her home and followed her inside where he sexually assaulted her while holding her down.

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The dating website agrees to screen members against sex offender registries to settle a suit brought by a woman who said she was sexually assaulted by a man she met through the site.

By Amanda Salem
A woman who said she was sexually assaulted by a Pacific Palisades man settled a lawsuit against Match.com on Tuesday. The woman said she met Alan Paul Wurtzel, 67, by way of the dating website in early 2010.

The woman reportedly asked for no monetary damages in the settlement. However, the website agreed to screen all members against sex offender registries. Wurtzel had sexual assault convictions before meeting the woman.

"If I save one woman from getting attacked, I'm happy," the woman told reporters.

Wurtzel pleaded no contest to felony sexual assault by restraint in LA County Superior Court on Aug. 17.

The woman's attorney told reporters that on their second date, her client and Wurtzel went to a West Hollywood restaurant. The court says Wurtzel then drove the woman home and followed her into her residence, "where he sexually assaulted her while holding her down."

In exchange for Wurtzel's plea, "one count of forcible oral copulation will be dismissed," according to a press release from the court.

Wurtzel will be back in court Sept. 19 for sentencing. According to Deputy District Attorney Jane Creighton, Wurtzel faces "365 days in jail, five years' formal probation and he must register as a sex offender for life."

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Did she let him in her home for "coffee" on the 2nd date? I am NOT saying it is her fault he molested her but what I AM saying is: Don't go on dating websites. If you do, be Very cautious. Do NOT let them in your home until you have had TIME to get to know them and of course, check their background.

ITA Wrap, this is what happens when women and men go on dating sites. No different from meeting a stranger in a bar, IMO. I know people have been married after meeting on sites like that but that's not the norm. The missing woman from MD met her "suspect" boyfriend on such a site. Men can BS on a dating site just like they can BS in real life. Women need to use the brain God gave them to make common sense decisions. Good grief.

Sep 19, 2011

A man who pled no contest to assaulting a woman he met through Match.com has been sentenced to a year in jail.

Alan Wurtzel , 67, pleaded no contest last month to sexually assaulting Carole Markin. After the second date, Wurtzel followed her into her home where the attack occurred, prosecutors said.

Markin later learned Wurtzel had prior sexual battery convictions.

Wurtzel was also sentenced to five years of probation and was ordered to register as a sex offender and complete a year of counseling, according to Jane Robison, a spokeswoman for Los Angeles County prosecutors.

Markin sued Match.com seeking a court order requiring the dating service to screen prospective members and weed out sex offenders. She did not seek monetary damages and after Match agreed to screen members against state and federal sex-offender registries, the suit was settled.

"If I save one woman from being attacked, I'm happy," Markin said. "I went into this lawsuit to protect other people and it worked."

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ONLY a year? Pathetic!