A woman who was sexually assaulted on a Tinder date is pursuing a civil case against her convicted attacker, who received a no-prison sentence more than a year ago, which she described as a "slap in the face."
Pamela Adelgren, 29, is suing William Knapp Hathaway IV, 34, in federal court for damages related to the 2020 assault. Adelgren, an aspiring fashion designer, stated that the lenient sentence has left her living in fear and distrustful of the justice system.
"I still live in fear," Adelgren said in an interview. "Walking outside and day-to-day activities, I’m always looking over my shoulder."
Adelgren met Hathaway on Tinder in February 2020. After a date at the SoHo House members club, they went to Hathaway's West Village apartment. According to prosecutors, after Adelgren indicated she wanted to stop the encounter at least five times, Hathaway proceeded to rape her.
In April 2025, a Manhattan jury found Hathaway guilty of rape in the third degree. Prosecutors had recommended the maximum sentence of four years in prison. However, Supreme Court Justice Josh Hanshaft opted for 10 years of probation and required Hathaway to register as a sex offender.
"I’m not sure if this sentence is what’s the right answer or should you be sitting in a jail cell for a while to get a sense of what incarceration is about," the judge remarked during Hathaway's sentencing in August 2025. This decision drew criticism from legal observers and sexual assault advocates.
"It was a slap in the face," Adelgren stated. "I wasn’t taken very seriously, and that this type of case isn’t taken very seriously… I am happy he was convicted, but it just seems like such a light sentence for what he did to me."
Hathaway, who was from Connecticut but residing in Florida at the time of his sentencing, could not be reached for comment.
Adelgren's civil lawsuit seeks damages for battery, assault, and emotional distress, and requests a restraining order. She explained that the attack disrupted her aspirations of building a career in fashion in New York City.
"My life would have been very different if [those] things didn’t happen," said Adelgren, who now lives in North Carolina. She has since found work as a sewist specializing in furniture upholstery and is beginning a new job creating dancewear.
Adelgren hopes her civil suit will hold her attacker accountable and encourage other victims to come forward. "I’m hoping it’ll bring a lot more closure and help me speak up more and fight back," she said. "And to gain more control in my life after it was taken away."