Australian bestselling author Hacia Atherton, 38, has filed a federal lawsuit against Florida businessman and retired pilot Paul Vitale, 69, alleging that a relationship which began on an exclusive dating app descended into sustained sexual abuse and coercive control. Atherton claims Vitale initially wooed her with luxury gifts, Caribbean trips and a glamorous long-distance romance, before allegedly forcing her to act as his "sex slave", wear a dog collar and sleep with other men. Her lawyers say the case demonstrates that women can become victims of sexual abuse regardless of their wealth, success or independence.

The pair matched on Millionaire Match, a dating platform marketed at wealthy singles, and Atherton alleges an instant connection formed during their first video call in February 2025. She says Vitale's attentiveness won her trust to the point that she confided a history of sexual abuse, after which the alleged control escalated. According to the suit, Vitale — who ran a consulting firm and owned a $1.1 million beachfront condo in Clearwater, Florida — showered her with clothes and jewellery, but during their first in-person meeting pushed her to wear a collar and take part in a sexual encounter with him and another man, described by her lawyers as the start of an escalating system of "swinging" and sexual control. The allegations remain untested claims within the lawsuit, and Vitale's response is not recorded in the article.