Two alleged victims of Andrew and Tristan Tate have filed a protective order to keep their identities confidential, citing intense doxxing and harassment from the Tates’ fans, associates, and even the brothers’ legal team, according to a filing obtained by Rolling Stone.
The order, filed in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida, requests that the court “seal all current and future pleadings and court-filings containing personally identifying information and details involving the relationship or alleged sexual histories of any defendants” due to “ongoing targeted harassment and threats” from the Tates and their fan base. (It was filed in United States court due to one of the accusers being American.) Sworn affidavits from the accusers shed further light on the extent of the harassment they have faced, with one of the accusers describing receiving “hundreds” of threatening messages, as well as strangers showing up at her parents’ home.
The defendants are represented by the National Center of Sexual Exploitation (NCOSE). They claim they had been lured to the Tate brothers’ compound in Romania in the spring of 2022 under the pretense of having romantic relationships with them.
“Instead, the women found themselves trapped in a human trafficking organization operated by the Tates and their associates, where they experienced alienation, isolation, constant surveillance, threats of retaliation for disobedience, and in case, sexual assault and violence,” the filing reads. The Tate brothers’ compound was raided by Romanian authorities in April 2022 after one of the women placed a call to the U.S. embassy.
A former kickboxer turned reality star turned manosphere influencer, Andrew Tate exploded to fame in the summer of 2022, with his videos making controversial statements about gender relations and violence against women going viral on platforms like TikTok and Twitter. They were arrested by Romanian authorities and detained on suspicion of human trafficking in December 2022. In early 2023, as Rolling Stone previously reported, the Tates sent a cease-and-desist letter to one of the alleged victims, threatening to sue them for $300 million if she did not retract her testimony to Romanian authorities.
The Tates are currently awaiting trial in Romania on charges of rape, human trafficking, and forming an organized crime group to sexually exploit women. They have vehemently denied all charges.
The Tates’ civil claim against their accuser, the most recent filing reads, “inappropriately (if not illegally)” identifies her as an underage victim of a sexual crime, which had previously been sealed by Florida courts. Their complaint cites her former partner, who began a sexual relationship with her when he was 34 and she was 17, painting her as a “serial liar, manipulator, and schemer, who predatorily exploits vulnerable, often wealthy men with good intentions.”
The filing also alleges that the Tates hired two separate private investigators to look into the woman’s background, supplying information to an independent “journalist” and associate of the Tates that prompted him to travel to her home in Florida to “investigate” her.
According to the filing, the Tates’ attorney, Joseph McBride, has publicly posted private information about the accusers on his Twitter account, which has more than 105,000 followers. The document alleges that on July 19, 2023, McBride posted a link to a Google Drive on Twitter containing research associated with the case that included the accusers’ unredacted private information, which was viewed more than 13,000 times within a few hours. McBride’s tweet opened the women up to “harassment, physical harm, and identity theft,” the complaint reads.
“These actions are not accidental or reactionary — they are a calculated strategy of harassment and intimidation meant to bully these witnesses out of cooperating in the Romanian criminal case,” the filing reads. (McBride did not immediately respond to Rolling Stone‘s request for comment.)
In an affidavit attached to the filing, the accuser writes of the harassment she and her family members have received at the hands of fans of the Tates and their associates, saying it has caused her intense stress and anxiety on a daily basis. “Even talking to the person at checkout in a store is very difficult and stressful because I worry that they could recognize me, try to take my picture, and post it online, revealing my location to the Tates or their associates and followers,” she writes. “I feel I always have to hide.”
The Tates’ accuser goes on to write that “because of the constant hypervigilance, anxiety, and fear I experience daily, I have trouble concentrating on even the smallest tasks. This has made it extremely difficult to secure regular employment. As a result, I am extremely financially vulnerable and have trouble meeting even my most basic needs of food and shelter.”
She writes that the stress of the harassment from Tate fans “has manifested in chronic
physical pain and constant headaches. It is difficult to concentrate on anything. I am constantly
fearful, sad, and alone. At times it is difficult to even get out of bed.
“I am extremely afraid of the Tate Brothers, their associates, and their followers
online,” she concludes. “And it feels like this will never end as the harassment and threats have only intensified over time. I cannot heal and move on with my life.”