A federal judge granted a motion for Palm Beach County defendants to file under pseudonym in kickboxer Andrew Tate’s defamation lawsuit but stopped short of issuing a protective order.
“The court defers its ruling as to the issuance of a protective order until it makes a determination of whether subject matter jurisdiction exists,” wrote Judge Robin L. Rosenberg in her September 20 order.
In July, embattled social media influencer Andrew Tate filed a $5 million lawsuit against one of the women who accused him of rape in Romania.
Beeston
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Other defendants named include the accuser's parents.
The Palm Beach County defendants told the court they are receiving threats on social media.
“The victim defendants have provided sworn affidavits that their family and friends have been contacted by strangers,” Rosenberg stated in her ruling. “In response, plaintiffs argue that the social media profiles in the defendants’ screenshots which reveal the threatening messages should not be credited. The court is unpersuaded by the plaintiffs’ argument and concludes that there is a risk of physical harm and that the safety concerns apply equally to all defendants.”
The defendants are now listed on the case's caption as Jane Doe.
Tate and his brother Tristan Tate are alleging defamation, false imprisonment, civil conspiracy, tortious interference, intentional infliction, and negligent infliction of emotional distress.
“Proceeding under pseudonym will prevent the further dissemination of private information about the defendants and may stop further harassment,” said attorney Jack Beeston. “Further, additional dissemination of their real names is likely to be in contempt of court.”
Beeston represents four British women whose unrelated complaints of rape against Tate date back to the time when he lived in England prior to relocating to Romania in 2017.
As previously reported in the Florida Record, the Tate brothers are under judicial control lin Romania while awaiting trial and are charged with rape, human trafficking, and forming an organized crime group to sexually exploit women.
“This is a complex matter and there is an enormous amount of evidence, I am certain that the Romanian authorities are moving as swiftly as they can,” Beeston told the Florida Record.
It was widely reported last week that the four women Beeston represents are set to sue Tate alleging he not only raped them but also coercively controlled them from 2013 to 2016.
“As their identities have been protected, they have been insulated from harm and harassment,” Beeston added. “We will be seeking anonymity orders.”