Andrew Tate sued by four British women over rape and abuse claims
Four women who allege that they were raped and sexually abused by Andrew Tate, the social media influencer, have launched a civil case for damages against him.
Lawyers for the women served Mr Tate with civil papers at his home in Romania on Wednesday.
The former professional kickboxer is awaiting trial in Bucharest on charges of human trafficking and rape, and is also facing extradition back to the UK, where he is being investigated over similar allegations.
The civil case relates to alleged incidents dating back to 2013 when the women were working for Mr Tate and claim they were raped by him.
Three of the women went to Hertfordshire police in 2014 and 2015 and reported the alleged offences, and Mr Tate was arrested and questioned.
In 2018, police sent a file to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), but the following year it announced no charges would be brought.
Mr Tate has denied the allegations and is threatening to sue the women for defamation.
Crowdsourcing to fund case
But on Wednesday four women, who have been crowdsourcing to fund their legal case, served him with legal papers.
A spokesman for their legal team at the firm McCue Jury and Partners said that the women wanted a court to hear their case that Mr Tate raped them and that they were also seeking damages.
The spokesman said: “The criminal justice system let these women down; civil action is their last remaining route to justice.”
“Tate has made a fortune out of businesses such as his ‘Real World’ platform, which recruits impressionable men into a pyramid scheme, and through the spread of his toxic, misogynistic dogma across social media.
“Some of that fortune should be used to compensate his alleged victims. To fund the initial phase of their legal action, the victims have started a crowdfunding campaign, raising over £39,000 with an initial target of £50,000.”
Mr Tate, who was born in Washington DC and grew up in Luton, moved to Romania in 2017. But the 37-year-old, who has described himself as the “king of toxic masculinity” and has a large following online, has been under investigation for months over allegations that he recruited young women and forced them to make online pornographic content.
Extradition request
Last month a court in Bucharest decided there was enough evidence to send the case to trial, but no date has been set for proceedings to begin.
Mr Tate is also facing an investigation by Bedfordshire Police into allegations of rape and human trafficking against him and his brother, Tristan, 35, dating back to 2012.
Earlier this year, the force confirmed that an extradition request had been approved by the Romanian authorities.
However, Bedfordshire Police will have to wait for the legal proceedings in Bucharest to be concluded before the Tates will be returned to the UK.
