Civil case against Tate could be legal first, barrister says

Andrew Tate, pictured in the US in February, denies all of the women's allegations.

A civil case brought by four women against Andrew Tate is believed to be a legal first, a barrister for his accusers has said.

The women accuse Tate of rape, assault and coercive control between 2013 and 2015. One claims he threatened to kill her, another says he made clear he would kill anyone who spoke to her, and a third claims he convinced her he had killed others.

In written submissions, Anne Studd KC said she believed this was the first case of its kind in which it is argued that coercive control amounted to "intentional infliction of harm" - a legal concept similar to emotional distress.

Tate denies the claims, saying they are a "pack of lies" and "gross fabrications".

The women are seeking damages "arising from the assaults, batteries, and infliction of intentional harm", their civil claim states.

A case management hearing was held in London on Tuesday, which deals with preliminary matters and logistics.

The court heard that a trial could be held in early 2027, and that it could last three weeks.

Judge Richard Armstrong told the court the four women were "seeking damages likely to reach six figures".

Proving the intentional infliction of harm would mean the claimants could be awarded additional damages.

Coercive control, Ms Studd said, was "a form of grooming and manipulation where the victim becomes less and less able to respond in what might be perceived as a normal way".

She added that a victim "may not leave even if the door is open".

Vanessa Marshall KC, acting for Tate, told the court that they "accept in this day and age that coercive and controlling behaviour does exist", but that it was "really not the issue in this case".

The case concerns incidents the four women allege took place in Luton and Hitchin.

Two of the claimants worked for Tate's webcam business in 2015, while the other two were in relationships with him in 2013 and 2014.

Three of the women previously reported Tate to the police, but in 2019 the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) decided not to bring criminal charges.

Tate denies all the allegations, and argues that the women cannot now take legal action against him because too much time has passed, and emails, texts, and other potential evidence would have been lost.

His solicitor Andrew Ford previously said in a statement that the women's allegations "are vehemently denied and will be fully contested in court".

"When the matter was referred to the CPS, they concluded there was insufficient prospect of conviction and chose not to charge Mr Tate with any offence," Mr Ford added.

Serious legal challenges

The women's claim against Tate is one of several serious legal challenges around the world that he is fighting, including some where he is co-accused with his brother Tristan Tate.

They are currently facing a mix of criminal and civil legal action in three countries - the UK, the US and Romania.

Last year, the brothers were detained in Bucharest after Bedfordshire Police in the UK said it had obtained an arrest warrant in relation to allegations of rape and trafficking dating back to between 2012 and 2015.

A Romanian court ruled in March 2024 that the pair could be extradited to the UK once separate proceedings there had concluded.

The brothers deny all accusations against them.

A travel ban imposed on the brothers in Romania was recently lifted. They travelled to Miami in the US state of Florida from late February until late March.

The UK government faced criticism for not requesting the extradition of the brothers at the time, in connection to the criminal investigation in the UK.

An email from the Florida Attorney General's Office, seen by BBC News and dated 7 March, says that "should the United Kingdom have an extradition order that needs to be acted upon, our state authorities will assist in executing and complying".

"I hope this assists in service of process for the cases in the United Kingdom," the email adds.

One of the claimants in the civil case, who we are calling Sienna, previously told the BBC that it was "horrible to see" Tate travelling internationally and she thought the UK should be "pushing a lot harder" for the brothers' extradition.

In a statement, the Home Office said: "As a matter of long-standing policy and practice, the UK will neither confirm nor deny that an extradition request has been made or received. Given the ongoing Romanian investigation, it would be inappropriate to comment further."

The BBC has been told by sources close to the matter that UK officials are concerned a separate extradition request to the US would be seen as subverting the Romanian legal process, potentially risking the existing agreement between the UK and Romania.

A spokesperson for Tate previously said he "categorically denies these unproven and untested allegations".

"Mr Tate will defend himself vigorously and remains confident the truth will prevail," they added in a statement.

Neither of the brothers have been convicted of any crimes.