Lawyer of the ex-kickboxing champion and controversial social media influencer Andrew Tate and his brother Tristan Tate has written a cease-and-desist letter to Benjamin Bull, lawyer of the yet-to-be-named woman, who accused the brothers of rape and human trafficking in April 2022, the BBC has reported.
The letter seen by the BBC states: “In April 2022, you falsely stated to a third party that our client human trafficked you, abused you and held you against your will. You have repeated false and defamatory statements to the police, the media, and another United States citizen about the Tate brothers.”
Andrew and Tristan Tate are currently being kept in a Romanian jail while the authorities carry out an investigation into alleged human trafficking and rape against them. Both the brothers deny these allegations.
Talking to the BBC, lawyer Benjamin Bull, who represents the woman and also represents the National Centre on Sexual Exploitation described the letter as an effort to intimidate his client. Bull added that his client is one of the key witnesses to the investigation going on in Romania and the defamation lawsuit is an attempt to silence her.
“[It] was intended to shut down the witness; stop the witness from bringing testimony forward in any proceedings,” Benjamin Bull said.
“They want these young ladies to climb into a hole and hide, never come forward [or] describe what they saw and what happened to them. It’s clearly an effort to intimidate.”
The Tates’ legal team have also filed a criminal complaint against the said woman.