FILE PHOTO: Sean Rad, CEO of Tinder, is seen during celebrations for Match Group’s IPO at the NASDAQ stock exchange, New York November 20, 2015. REUTERS/Lucas Jackson
(Reuters) – Online dating company Match Group Inc (MTCH.O) and its owner IAC/InterActiveCorp (IAC.O) has filed a lawsuit accusing Sean Rad, a former employee known for co-founding the popular dating service Tinder, of stealing company files and other proprietary information.
The lawsuit, filed in state court in Manhattan on Tuesday evening, came six months after Rad and other Tinder co-founders sued IAC, accusing it of deflating Tinder’s valuation to avoid paying them.
Tinder is one of several dating services under the umbrella of Match Group, which is mostly owned by IAC.
The lawsuit claims at least $250 million in damages.
Orin Snyder, a lawyer for Los Angeles-based Rad, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Reporting by Jan Wolfe; Editing by Jonathan Oatis and Frances Kerry