FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — A judge says controversial social media personality Andrew Tate’s defamation lawsuit against a Florida woman who accused him of imprisoning her in Romania can move forward, but he has dismissed Tate’s allegations against her parents and some allegations against the woman .
Palm Beach County Circuit Judge Joseph Curley ruled that the widely followed former professional kickboxer, 37, and his brother, Tristan, 36, can continue their accusations that the woman enlisted another woman in a plot to get money from them in 2022 to squeeze.
The British-American brothers say the woman falsely accused them of human trafficking and rape, costing them their freedom and millions of dollars in income from their lucrative social media, podcasting and business ventures. Romanian officials charged the Tates last year, saying the brothers forced seven victims into pornography and subjected them to physical violence.
Her lawyers say the lawsuit is retaliation for her reporting him to authorities. The Associated Press generally does not name people who say they have been sexually assaulted.
Curley said in last week’s ruling, which was posted in online court records Tuesday, that Tates’ attorneys showed sufficient possible evidence that the woman defamed their clients and attempted to defraud and extort them to ensure that the parties exchange discoveries. He pointed to text messages from April 2022 that the woman and her friend exchanged, in which they say they will ask the Tates for $200,000 and “act like we still love them and stuff.”
Curley also pointed to other text messages that could indicate the woman knew she was falsely accusing the Tates of sex trafficking and false imprisonment. No trial date has been set and due to discovery and legal challenges, it could be years before a trial takes place, if ever.
Curley threw out portions of the lawsuit accusing the woman of false imprisonment for the Tates’ arrest, intentional infliction of emotional distress and interfering with their business relationships. He left the door open for their attorneys to amend and relitigate those charges.
Curley rejected the Tates’ accusations that the woman’s parents had defamed them when they informed U.S. diplomatic officials of their daughter’s allegations. He said they had no reason to believe their daughter’s allegations were false and that they had the right to press charges. He had previously dismissed the allegations against the second woman because she is a Moldovan citizen living in Britain and outside the jurisdiction of Florida.
Attorneys for the Tates and the woman each said Curley’s decision was a victory for their side.
Tate attorney Joseph McBride said they are “very pleased with Judge Curley’s ruling” as the defamation charge directly addresses the “plot to destroy the lives of Andrew and Tristan Tate.” He said no decision has yet been made on whether the dismissed charges should be amended and refiled.
The National Center on Sexual Exploitation Law, which represents the woman and her parents, called Curley’s ruling a “huge victory.”
“We are very pleased that the Court dismissed the majority of this frivolous lawsuit and wisely narrowed the issues and claims,” attorney Dani Pinter said in a statement. “If the case proceeds, we look forward to the opportunity to prove the truth of what happened in Romania, and we are confident that we will ultimately succeed and that this intimidating lawsuit will fail.”
Romanian investigators said in their indictment that the Tates and two Romanian women formed a criminal group in 2021 “to commit the crime of human trafficking” in that country, the United States and Britain. Prosecutors also seized the Tates’ assets, including 15 luxury cars, luxury watches and approximately $3 million in cryptocurrency.
Investigators say the seven accusers were recruited with false declarations of love but then forced to participate in pornography. The women were controlled by “intimidation, constant surveillance” and claimed they were in debt, officials said.
But the Tates paint a different picture in their lawsuit. They say the Florida woman and all the women living on their property were free to come and go as they pleased, and closed-circuit surveillance video can prove this.
Andrew Tate has been banned from TikTok, YouTube and Facebook after the platforms accused him of posting hate speech and misogynistic comments, including that women should bear responsibility for sexual abuse. But he remains popular on X, with almost 10 million followers, including many young men and schoolchildren. He runs an online academy where he says he teaches young men how to become rich and attract women.
Several women in Britain have also filed civil claims against Andrew Tate, claiming they were victims of sexual assault. British authorities have criminally charged the Tates with sexual aggression. Details have not been disclosed.
In a 2023 interview with the BBC, Andrew Tate denied spreading a culture of misogyny and accusations that he manipulated women for financial gain.
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This story has been corrected to show that the judge is allowing the lawsuit to proceed to discovery, not trial.
