Judge rules Andrew Tate fans pose a "risk of physical harm" to defendants in a civil case

A judge has called Andrew Tate fans "a risk of physical harm" to the defendants in a civil case Andrew and Tristan Tate filed against five people in a Florida federal court.

As a result, the judge has allowed the defendants in the case to proceed under a pseudonym due to "safety concerns".

The document reads, "the tenor of the online harassment directed toward the Defendants is such that... the presumption of disclosure must yield to the Defendants' privacy and safety concerns."

The defendants in the civil case include two of the alleged victims in a Romanian criminal investigation into the Tate brothers, the document confirms. One of the defendant's parents was included in the lawsuit by the Tate brothers, as well as a U.S. Marine reserve who made the human trafficking report to the U.S. Embassy in Romania, sparking the criminal investigation.

The lawsuit, filed in July and seeking $5 million in damages, alleged that the defendants committed defamation, false imprisonment, interference with a business relationship, civil conspiracy, negligent infliction of emotional distress, and intentional infliction of emotional distress.

The judge's order granting the defendants' motion to proceed pseudonymously cites threatening messages against the defendants, including an Instagram comment that says "I'm getting a hitman," and another comment that says "we are on our way to pay a visit."

The defendants called the Tates' lawsuit "part of an ongoing effort to influence public opinion as to the ongoing [Romanian] criminal cas, and to further harass and traumatise these women," in a filing on September 8.

In that filing, lawyers for the defendants claimed that the Tates' lawyer, Joseph McBride, posted a link to a Google Drive on Twitter/X. The Google Drive contained personal information about the defendants, including their phone numbers, dates of birth, and passport information.

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