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DATING SITE GLEEDEN can keep singing the praises of cheating, a French court ruled this week in throwing out a complaint from a federation of Catholic families that the site’s business model is immoral and illegal because it encourages extramarital affairs.
A Paris civil court said that promoting infidelity in advertisements wasn’t unlawful because adultery isn’t a criminal offense in France and that cheating on one’s spouse is a private matter.
“It is a victory of freedom of speech over religious bigotry,” Caroline Mecary, the lawyer for Gleeden, told The Associated Press.
The plaintiff sought to use legal proceedings to promote a reactionary and conservative vision of the couple and the family, but the court was not fooled.
Mecary said the case was the first of its kind to be brought to a French court.
Gleeden, a website founded by two French businessmen in 2009 with headquarters in New York, is mainly for married women and men looking to date other married people.
It claims to be a world leader in the market of online extramarital dating, with a presence in more than 150 countries.
The National Confederation of Catholic Family Associations had asked the court to ban Gleeden from referring to extramarital relations in its communications and to say that the contracts between the website and its 3 million users were unlawful and void, which would have hampered the very activity of the dating site.
The French Catholic association had accused Gleeden of helping people commit adultery and break one of the obligations of marriage. The dating site was also seen by the group as promoting “anti-social behaviours” for business purposes.
But the court ruled that the federation was not eligible to file a complaint because the legal issues around infidelity only can be raised within a private marital relationship and because cheating on one’s spouse doesn’t always rise to a civil violation.
“The reference to infidelity cannot be characterised as unlawful action since the breach of the duty of fidelity does not necessarily constitute a fault,” the ruling said.
Gleeden says its users are responsible adults and that no ads or websites can convince people to cheat on their spouses if they are not already willing to do so.
“The site addresses demands, but doesn’t create them,” the company said in its pleadings.
Mecary said the federation’s complaint showed a willingness to undermine France’s traditional secularism.
“What would have been said had the complaint been filed by an association of Muslim families?” she said.
The Catholic association, which claims 35,000 families as members, has yet to decide whether to appeal Thursday’s ruling. It’s lawyer, Erwan Le Morhedec, said he thinks there are legal grounds for an appeal.
“Freedom of speech, especially in the advertising field, has legal limits,” he told The AP in a phone interview.
Le Morhedec said Gleeden, through its business activity, seeks to impose its owners’ views about family on public opinion when “duplicity, deceit and lies” don’t need to be promoted.
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Cold enough to make lawyers put their hands in their own pockets.
Last month the number of rough sleepers soared to a shameful new high of 184 because of government housing policy.
Are there sufficient emergency beds for every one of those people tonight.
If not and god forbid if any should die in the cold on the streets over the coming days, then it is only right that Socky Varadkar and Eoghan ‘Poshboy’ Murphy be charged with manslaughter.
@Colin Morris: ridiculous that the winter plan begins in mid December. Government has a lot to answer for, banks too
@Colin Morris:
That’s very sad Colin, there is accommodation available for everybody.
I know a drunken bum barred for violence last week, And was accommodated immediately.
The rough sleepers may have unfortunate problems, preventing them to be easily looked after god help them.
@Benjamin Dolan: a drunken bum ??
That’s why man slaughter charges need to be pursued against Socky Varadkar and Poshboy Murphy if there are any preventable deaths of homeless people this year.
Their refusal to do their jobs is criminally negligent.
Winter is coming!
@Jon Snow: You know nothing, Jon Snow…
A mother polar bear and its cub are on an ice floe ,The cub asks of Mother “Mum ,what kind of bear am I ,am I a grizzly bear.or a Kodiak bear ? Mum what kind of bear am I ?,The exasperated mother looks down at the cub and says “son you are Polar bear.but why ask ?”and the cub replies ,because I am f:%%|ng freezing.
It is absolutely freezing when I wake up in the morning. Can only go for short cycles as well as it is so cold.
have your say