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© unknownAlan Paul Wurtzel allegedly raped a woman he met through match.com
A woman who claims she was raped by a man she met on Match.com, who she later found out had convictions for sexual battery, is suing the dating website.

The woman, an entertainment executive from California, is demanding that the website screens all its members for sexual predators.

Her lawyer Mark L. Webb is asking for a temporary injunction barring the site from signing up more members until his client's demands are met.

He said: 'They are a very powerful and successful online dating service, and they have the means to do this.'

He described his client, known in the lawsuit as Jane Doe, as an Ivy League graduate who works in film and television.

She met her her alleged assailant, Alan Paul Wurtzel, last year at a cafe in West Hollywood.

She said he seemed charming and so agreed to see him again. After the second date, however, he allegedly followed her home and forced himself on her.

Mr Wurtzel's attorney has described the incident as 'a consenting sexual encounter.'

A spokesman for Match.com told the Wall Street Journal: 'We are very disturbed to hear about this incident. While incidents like this one between
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© unknownOnline dating: Match.com guarantees users will find love if they use their site
individuals who meet on Match.com are extremely rare, it doesn't make them any less horrifying.

'We ask all of our members to pay close attention to the safety tips for meeting offline that are on our website, so we can do everything possible to prevent this type of thing from happening again.

'There are steps you can take to protect yourself online and offline, whether you met someone on an online dating service, through an acquaintance, or at a bar.'

The woman said in a statement through her lawyer: 'This horrific ordeal completely blindsided me because I had considered myself savvy about online dating safety.

'Things quickly turned into a nightmare, beyond my control.'

After the man left, the woman went online and learned that he had been convicted of several counts of sexual battery.

Charges are pending in the Match.com case, Mr Webb said.