When Andrew and Tristan Tate landed in South Florida on Thursday morning, their arrival stunned Jane Doe, a woman who has accused them of attempting to traffic her to Romania.
“It’s a mystery to us. To be honest, it was frightening to Jane Doe,” said her attorney, Dani Pinter, of the National Center on Sexual Exploitation.
Just before landing, the Tate brothers filed for a temporary restraining order against Doe, citing uncovered text messages they claim show “credible threats of violence, intimidation or harm.”
Doe’s attorney denied the allegations. The brothers had already sued her for defamation and Doe has countersued.
On Thursday, she asked the court to put a hold on their lawsuit, but the request was denied.
Legal battles continue
“She asked the court to stay the case, which would have paused it until the criminal case was resolved, but she was unsuccessful,” Pinter said.
The Tate brothers, former kickboxing champions and social media influencers with millions of followers, returned to the U.S. after authorities lifted their travel restrictions.
In December, a Romanian court ruled that the human trafficking case against them could not go to trial due to irregularities, though it remains open. Andrew Tate also faces a rape charge, which he denies.
“I think that largely my brother and I are misunderstood,” Andrew Tate said Thursday. “There’s a lot of opinions about us, all the things that go around about us on the internet.”
Accuser fears intimidation
In their defamation suit, the Tates claim Jane Doe “is a serial extortionist and blackmailer who preys on successful men” and that they are her latest victims.
Doe’s attorney argues the lawsuit is an attempt to intimidate her as a witness.
“She has now been asked to provide additional testimony in the Romanian case and feels afraid to do so because of this lawsuit and other intimidation by the Tate brothers,” Pinter said.
Attorneys for the Tates did not respond to requests for comment.
