Carole Markin, Woman Suing Match.com, Speaks Out About Alleged Assault

The California woman who is suing Match.com, saying she was assaulted on a date arranged through the online dating site, spoke out today about the company's recent decision to screen its members against a sex offender database.

Carole Markin, a Los Angeles TV executive and author, filed the suit anonymously but came forward today and revealed her identity. She said she would wait to see whether the dating site actually implemented changes before deciding whether to drop the suit.

"I'm happy that they heard my message," she said in an interview with AOL News today. "But I'm cautiously optimistic. They're a big company, so we're waiting to see what will happen."

Markin is not seeking any financial damages in the suit. Her Match.com date had been convicted of sexual assault before, something Markin said the site should have screened for.

Match.com will begin checking its members against the National Sex Offender Registry since "improved technology and an improved database now enables a sufficient degree of accuracy to move forward" after showing a "historical unreliability," Match.com President Mandy Ginsberg said in a statement this week cited by CNN.

Markin said she chose to go public today to encourage other victims of sexual assault to come forward. "I want 'Jane Does' and 'Joe Blows' who may not have had the courage to speak out to feel they can come forward and be inspired. And I want justice in my criminal case."

Markin said she and Alan Wurtzel were on their second date in May when they left a sushi restaurant for Markin's home, where she says he forced her into a "sexually compromising position" and assaulted her.

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Wurtzel has been charged with two counts of felony sexual assault, according to the Los Angeles Times. The newspaper also reported that the Los Angeles Police Department is looking for other potential victims.

However, his attorney, Sharon Morris, told AOL News that the sexual act with Markin "was a consensual ... experience between two adults." She noted that Markin is the author of two books about dating, "Bad Dates: Celebrities (And Other Talented Types Reveal Their Worst Night Out)" and "More Bad Dates: And Other Tales From the Dark Side of Love."

"This is a woman who has written two books about dating, and we're wondering whether or not she's using this for new material for a new book," Morris said.

Markin called those accusations "ridiculous" and said she had no plans to write more books on the subject.