Judge Joseph Bianco
JDATE—properly Sparks Networks USA LLC (Sparks Networks)—owns the JDate.com dating website. Zaltz charged Sparks Networks with contract breach, personal injury and fraud. She alleged Sparks billed her repeatedly without her knowledge or consent, and eventually removed her from the JDate.com site after her complaints about the fees charged were not resolved. She also asserted that she received prank calls from the site, and was sexually assaulted by a site member while on a date. Despite denying dismissal, district court—discussing Fteja v. Facebook—transferred Zaltz's lawsuit to the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California. Despite her conclusory statements to the contrary, the court found Zaltz agreed to the forum selection clause in the Terms of Service provision of the JDate.com website—wherein the parties agreed to litigate any claim arising from the website in Los Angeles. Evidence provided by Sparks showed that Zaltz could not have participated on the JDate.com website without agreeing to its terms and conditions, including the California forum selection clause. Additionally, the locus of operative facts were in central California, where many relevant documents and witnesses are located.
