Howell v. Bumble Trading L.L.C.

You may be entitled to a cash payment from a class action lawsuit if you used the Bumble or Badoo apps while a resident of or located in the State of Illinois between November 1, 2016 and December 31, 2021.

Your legal rights are affected whether you act or don’t act. Read this website and the Notice carefully.

A settlement has been reached in a class action lawsuit called Howell et al. v. Bumble Trading L.L.C. et al., No. 2021-L-307, pending in the Circuit Court of Winnebago County, Illinois. This lawsuit involves the Bumble and Badoo dating apps. The lawsuit alleges that the apps violated Illinois’ Biometric Information Privacy Act, 740 ILCS 14/1 et seq. (“BIPA”), in connection with user photographs uploaded to the apps. Bumble and Badoo (“Defendants”) deny all the allegations made in the lawsuit and do not make any admission of guilt or wrongdoing by entering into the Settlement.

You are included in the Settlement Class if you used the Bumble or Badoo apps while a resident of or located in the State of Illinois between November 1, 2016, and December 31, 2021. See FAQ 5 for a list of individuals excluded from the Settlement Class.

If the Court approves the Settlement, Defendants will pay $40 Million into a Settlement Fund, which will be used to pay Valid Claims, settlement administration expenses, attorneys’ fees and expenses, and Class Representative Service Awards. Settlement Class Members may each submit one claim to receive a cash benefit from the Settlement Fund (“Class Benefit”), as explained in more detail below. You must submit a Valid Claim proving eligibility to receive a Class Benefit.

Your Legal Rights and Options in This Lawsuit

Submit a Claim and Participate in the Settlement	Submit the Claim Form on or before September 20, 2024. Submitting a valid and timely Claim Form is the only way to receive a payment from this Settlement and is the only thing you need to do to receive a payment. By receiving this benefit, you will give up rights and be bound by the Settlement. Click here to submit a Claim Form online.
Exclude Yourself	You will receive no payment, but you will retain any right you currently have to sue Defendants about the issues covered by the Settlement. This is the only option that allows you to keep your right to bring any other claim against Defendants released by the Settlement. See FAQ 14 for more information about how to exclude yourself. The deadline to exclude yourself is September 20, 2024.
Object	Write to the Court explaining why you don’t like the Settlement. See FAQ 17 for more information about how to object. The deadline to object is September 20, 2024. If you object, you may also ask to speak in Court about the fairness of the Settlement. See FAQ 21 for more information.
Do Nothing	If you do nothing, you will not receive anything from the Settlement. You will be bound by the terms of the Settlement, and you won’t be able to sue Defendants in a future lawsuit about any claim released by the Settlement. Submitting a valid and timely Claim Form is the only way to receive a payment from this Settlement.

These rights and options—and the deadlines to exercise them—are explained further in the Notice and on the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) page of this website. For complete details, please see the Settlement Agreement and Release, available here.