Andrew Tate names Australian commentator in amended lawsuit
Polarizing figures Tristan and Andrew Tate have called out an Australian commentator by name in a renewed legal claim in the US.
Australian online commentator Nathan Pope has been named in an amended defamation lawsuit filed in Florida circuit court last week by misogynist and avowed “man-influenced” Andrew Tate and his brother Tristan.
The Tate brothers and five others, previously named Mr. Pope in court filings as Gadget, allege they “intentionally sent and forwarded social media posts to the state of Florida to influence public opinion.”
The new lawsuit comes after commentators, many of whom were anonymous, won a bid to dismiss the case in Florida last December, finding that the court did not have jurisdiction over the parties.
The brothers now argue that the court has jurisdiction because “substantial actions giving rise to the claims occurring in Florida were directed to Florida or expressly targeted at the (defamation) action and related Florida cases.”
They claim commentators have “inflicted reputational and other damage” on the brothers by “trying to shape public opinion” regarding Tate’s ongoing court proceedings.
“(Defendants directed) false and defamatory statements to Florida in a coordinated effort to influence public opinion,” the court filing said.
“Accusations of rape, human trafficking, child abuse, pimping, grooming, organized crime, fraud and witness intimidation are particularly devastating.
“(Defendants) collectively conspired with each other for their common purpose to undermine and adversely affect the case.”
The brothers claimed the comment was damaging to their online education and membership businesses and portrayed them as “criminal, illegal or exploitative.”
They also claimed that they caused losses such as loss of business, loss of customers, loss of subscribers, reduced platform access, disruption of payment transactions, and increased security concerns, among other “compensable damages.”
They argued that because the content was accessed in Florida, it constituted “electronic communications” under U.S. state law.
In the application, the Tate brothers are described as British-American “entrepreneurs, social media figures and business people.” The duo, who have millions of followers, claim that they chose to live in Romania because the country’s values are “compatible with their personal beliefs and lifestyle”. They have resided here since approximately 2015.
The Tate brothers had previously filed a separate lawsuit against social media platform X, attempting to force the site to reveal the identities of anonymous commenters.
Mr Pope was initially named among the “Doe Defendants” but has since been identified and told the ABC he was “stunned” by the amended claim as he had publicly identified himself on numerous occasions.
“I’m not sure what took so long or why they told the court beforehand that I had concealed my identity,” he told the ABC.
The brothers also face rape and human trafficking charges in the United Kingdom and Romania; but deny the allegations against them.
Mr Pope said his name had changed “very slightly” as the legal battle continued and he was adamant he was not “defaming anyone”.
He added that he and some of the other defendants had crowdfunded legal fees to fight the Tate cases, which he feared was an attempt to “deplete us financially”.
