ST. LOUIS (AP) - Lawsuits against the owner of an online service that caters to men and women looking to cheat on their spouses are being consolidated in federal court in St. Louis.
Lawsuits filed against Avid Life Media LLC, owner of AshleyMadison.com, will be handled in U.S. District Court in St. Louis.
Hackers last summer released data stolen from the company that included user names and emails. Besides complaints of breached personal information, some plaintiffs claim fraud.
The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports (http://bit.ly/1Pp5HCk) District Judge John Ross said this week that lawyers have to file motions by Feb. 15 to allow plaintiffs to continue using pseudonyms. The company can then respond.
A lawyer for the company says a users' agreement clause might put the lawsuit on hold while claims are handled in arbitration.