Andrew Tate’s defamation lawsuit against human trafficking accuser can proceed, judge says

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 threw out Tate’s allegations against her parents and some allegations against the woman.

Fort Lauderdale, Florida (AP) — 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 threw out 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 pursue their allegations that the woman in 2022 enlisted another woman in a plot to extort money from them. 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 indicted the Tates last year, saying the brothers forced seven victims into pornography and subjected them to physical violence. Her attorneys say the lawsuit is in retribution 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, posted to online court records Tuesday, that the Tates’ attorneys have shown enough possible evidence that the woman defamed their clients and was attempting to defraud and extort them to warrant that the sides exchange discovery. He pointed to April 2022 text messages the woman and her friend exchanged where 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 falsely accused the Tates of sex trafficking and false imprisonment. No trial date has been set and because of discovery and legal challenges it could be years before one occurs, if ever.