Mary Kay Beckman Sues Match.com for $10 Million After Date Stabs Her 10 Times

Match.com says a Las Vegas woman has no legal basis for her lawsuit seeking $10 million after she was matched with a man who hid in her garage and brutally attacked her.

Mary Kay Beckman filed suit in U.S. District Court in January 2013 accusing Match.com of failing to warn members about the dangers of online dating.

What happened

She said she met Wade Mitchell Ridley, 53, on Match.com in September 2010. After about eight days of dating, she ended the relationship. Months later, Ridley broke into her garage and waited for her to come home. He stabbed her 10 times about the head, face, and upper body with such force that the knife broke, then stomped and kicked her in the head until, as the lawsuit put it, she "stopped making the gurgling noise." He left her for dead.

A neighbor found her. She survived after multiple surgeries to repair her jaw, replace part of her skull, and preserve her sight and hearing.

The killer's confession

After his arrest, Ridley confessed to killing another woman, 62-year-old Anne Simenson of Arizona, a few weeks before meeting Beckman. He told investigators he was angry at both women for ending relationships with him. He was imprisoned for the murder and died by suicide in prison in 2012.

The lawsuit

Beckman's suit argued Match.com created a false sense of security and failed to warn members of the risks. She contended the site should have screened better or at least warned plainly about what could go wrong.

Match.com called the lawsuit absurd. In a statement, the company said: "What happened to Mary Kay Beckman is horrible but this lawsuit is absurd... this is about a sick, twisted individual with no prior criminal record, not an entire community of men and women looking to meet each other." A spokeswoman added that the site offers safe-dating tips and that online dating is no less safe than meeting someone at a bar or at church.

The federal court initially dismissed the case under Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, which shields interactive services from liability for members' conduct. Beckman appealed, and in 2016 an appeals court revived her failure-to-warn claim, ruling she could proceed against the site.

FAQ

Who is Mary Kay Beckman? A Las Vegas woman, 50, who met Wade Ridley on Match.com in 2010.

What did Ridley do? After she ended an eight-day relationship, he ambushed her in her garage, stabbing her 10 times and beating her nearly to death.

Did he kill anyone else? Yes. He confessed to murdering Anne Simenson, 62, of Arizona, and died by suicide in prison in 2012.

What did the lawsuit claim? That Match.com failed to warn members about the dangers of online dating and created a false sense of security. She sought $10 million.

What happened to the case? Dismissed under Section 230, then partially revived on appeal in 2016 on the failure-to-warn claim.

The takeaway

A background check would not have caught Ridley: he had no prior record. That was both Match.com's defense and the terrifying part of the story.