Four British women who say they are victims of rape and serious sexual and physical assaults by Andrew Tate are suing the social media influencer in the High Court in London, in what they say is a “monumental” step.
Lawyers for the women served Mr Tate with civil proceedings at his home in Romania.
The controversial former kickboxer, along with his brother Tristan and two Romanian female suspects, was charged last June in Romania with human trafficking, rape and forming a criminal gang to sexually exploit women – allegations they have denied.
The claims by the four British women, which are separate from those charges, centre on abuse that allegedly took place between 2013 and 2016, before he rose to prominence on social media.
Each of the women claims Mr Tate throttled them, while he allegedly texted one to say: “I love raping you.”
Three of the women reported him to Hertfordshire Police but after a four-year investigation, the Crown Prosecution Service did not bring charges.
Mr Tate has denied the allegations and is threatening to sue the women for defamation.
Lawyers for the women said: “Despite additional evidence, the CPS have declined the women’s recent requests to review its decision. The criminal justice system let these women down; civil action is their last remaining route to justice.”
Their solicitor, Matthew Jury at McCue Jury & Partners, said Tate’s public profile had grown since the women came forward, and that they had seen children copying his mannerisms as he became a martyr of “masculinity”.
On a crowdfunding website, the women wrote: “Following the service of our letter before action on Tate last year, our claim has now been issued by the High Court in London.
“We have also served Tate with an order granted by the court protecting our anonymity. The Court agreed that it is necessary to protect us from possible harassment and abuse by Tate and his followers.
“This is a monumental step in our case as it means that the litigation against Tate for the allegations we are bringing against him for rape and physical assault has formally begun.”
After lawyers for the four women have set out all their allegations against him, Mr Tate must file his defence, saying whether he admits liability or, if not, why not, before the case goes to court.
A letter written last year in response to the pre-litigation notice warned that he would resist the women’s attempts to claim anonymity.
The four wrote to supporters on their crowdfunding site: “We cannot thank you enough for supporting our fight for justice. This is not just about us but about all women who have suffered at the hands of sexual violence.”
The Tate brothers also face criminal prosecution in the UK on rape and human-trafficking charges after British authorities issued a European arrest warrant as part of an investigation by Bedfordshire Police.
In March, a Romanian court approved a request from Britain to extradite the brothers on allegations of sexual aggression dating back to 2012-15, but only after the Romanian trial proceedings had finished.
Last month, a Bucharest court formally gave the go-ahead for Tate and the other three in Romania to be tried on human-trafficking charges.
The Tates’ representatives said no date had been set for the trial, but that the brothers would appeal against the ruling.
Andrew Tate has gained millions of fans by promoting an ultra-masculine lifestyle that critics say denigrates women.
His accounts have been removed from TikTok, Instagram and Facebook.