No Shoes, No Divorce, No Service

I know this is supposed to be a personal finance blog, but I just had to comment on this article posted at cnn.com

Service Says No Divorce, No Online Dating

A man separated from his wife but not quite divorced is suing a popular online matchmaker for refusing to help him find a date.

John Claassen, a 36-year-old lawyer from Emeryville, filed a lawsuit alleging eHarmony abridged his civil rights by refusing to match him up. He said the company, which has an "unmarried only" policy, broke California state law by discriminating against him based on his marital status.

Claassen, who is seeking $12,000 in civil penalties, said Monday he expects his divorce to be official in about two months, but that he should not have to wait until then to use eHarmony. It should be up to would-be dates to decide whether to pass him over because he is technically still married, he said.

Is it just me or has the world gone crazy? I know of several acquaintances who started seeing other people before their divorces were finalized. And I've often times questioned the psychological or emotional wisdom of doing so. But to sue an online dating service because they won't help you hook up with unattached singles? It's not as if there aren't any viable alternatives to eHarmony.

Claasen's divorce will be finalized in 2 months. Call me a cynic, but my guess is that the real reason behind his lawsuit is that his divorce is costing him an arm and a leg.