Grindr allegedly sold a prominent Catholic priest’s sensitive personal information, causing him to lose his position as the general secretariat for the National Conference of U.S. bishops.

July 18, 2024 (Los Angeles) – Jeffrey Burrill subscribed to the Grindr app, which collected his sensitive personal data, including information about sexual orientation and location. Grindr failed to protect Burrill’s sensitive information and knowingly allowed it to be sold to third parties, according to a lawsuit filed by Helmer Friedman LLP and The Carr Law Group (Los Angeles County Superior Court Case No. 24STCV17896).

Grindr’s failure to protect sensitive personal data and its subsequent sale to third parties has caused immeasurable harm. Consumers deserve transparency and security,
especially when dealing with such private information.

Grindr, based in California, owns and operates a social networking application under federal trademark registration number 3873295. The application provides online chat rooms for social networking on the Internet and mobile devices, as well as computer dating services through adult personal advertisements and social networking on the Internet and mobile devices. Described as the “largest social networking app for gay, bi, trans, and queer people,” Grindr claims to have created a safe space to connect with the queer community.

In 2017, Mr. Burrill subscribed to Grindr, a gay social networking application. Grindr collected sensitive personal data from Mr. Burrill, including information about his sexual orientation and physical location. Between 2017 and 2021, the Catholic Laity and Clergy for Renewal (CLCR), a private foundation, purchased Mr. Burrill’s Grindr personal data and shared it with a publication called The Pillar.

In July 2021, The Pillar published an article using the Grindr data purchased from CLCR, outing Mr. Burrill and making false and lurid claims about him. This resulted in significant damage to Mr. Burrill’s reputation, leading to his resignation from the position of General Secretary of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and causing him significant financial and emotional distress.

Despite Grindr’s assurance of protecting customers’ personal data from unauthorized access, use, or disclosure, they failed to disclose the steps taken to protect sensitive personal data. This was aggravated by the former Chief Privacy Officer’s revelations that Grindr was aware of its failure to protect sensitive personal data but chose not to address the issue due to a lack of resources. When the former Chief Privacy Officer raised concerns about privacy violations, they were met with pushback and disdain from Grindr.

For more information about this lawsuit, please contact Gregory D. Helmer (at 310-396-7714 ext. 102  or ghelmer@helmerfriedman.com). James C.D. Carr (at 310-919-8057 or james@carrlawgrp.com)

Similarly, if you are a witness or have information that would be relevant to the claims of Mr. Burrill, please contact Mr. Helmer and/or Mr. Carr.

DOCUMENTS:

• Complaint for Damages – Jeffrey Burrill V. Grindr, LLC.

MEDIA COVERAGE:

• Press Release – Grindr allegedly sold a prominent Catholic priest’s sensitive personal information, causing him to lose his position as the general secretariat for the National Conference of U.S. bishops.

• The Washington Post – Catholic priest Jeffery Burrill sues Grindr and says it caused him to lose his job.

• Law360 – Grindr Faces Privacy Suit by Prominent Outed Catholic Priest

• The Daily Journal – Outed Priest Sues Gay Dating App Developer Over Privacy Violations

• Catholic Vote – Former USCCB General Secretary Sues Gay Dating App for Breach of Privacy

• North Carolina Journal of Law & Technology – LOVE AT FIRST SWIPE : HOW DATING APPS COMPROMISE USER PRIVACY AND DATA PROTECTION

• Inquirer – Priest suing gay dating app Grindr not aware of arbitration agreement

• MSN – Monsignor suing Grindr says he knew nothing about arbitration agreement