18 February 2023 , 14:44
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Andrew Tate has threatened legal action against at least one of the women accusing him of sex trafficking.
Controversial influencer Tate, 36, and brother Tristan, 34, have been held in a Romanian prison since December as police investigate allegations of rape and human trafficking.
And it has been revealed that former kickboxer Tate has threatened to sue a woman and her family for defamation over some of the allegations made.
US lawyers for the woman have confirmed she received a "cease and desist" letter from a law firm on behalf of Tate and brother Tristan in December, the same month he was arrested near Bucharest.
According to the BBC, the letter - seen by the publication - threatens to sue the accuser and her parents for $300million (£249million) for defamation, as Tate continues to deny all the allegations made against him.
Bearded Andrew Tate looks disheveled as he arrives at court for latest hearing
A redacted copy of the letter seen by the BBC reads: "In April 2022 you falsely stated to a third party that our Client human trafficked you, abused you and held you against your will.
Tate is currently being detained as police probe human trafficking and rape allegations (Alexandru Dobre/AP/REX/Shutterstock)"You have repeated false and defamatory statements to the police, the media, and another United States citizen about the Tate brothers."
Benjamin Bull, a lawyer working for the National centre on Sexual Exploitation who represents some of the witnesses in the probe, told the BBC that the letter from Tate's legal team was intended to "shut down" the woman.
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 lawyers of the imprisoned Tates have confirmed the legitimacy of the letter but denied any intimidation tactics with the defamation threat.
The Tate brothers deny the allegations made against them (Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)And an advisor for the brothers, Tina Glandian, said: "The fact that [the Tates] are incarcerated right now is not a basis for them not to pursue their legal rights."
The duo also filed a criminal complaint in Romania against two women last April, including the witness who has received the cease-and-desist letter, according to their legal team.
Glandian noted that the complaint was made in response to allegations that the women were held against their will by the Tates, and said "there was no evidence of that whatsoever."
The Tates will both remain locked up until at least February 27 after a second appeal against detention in preventative custody was rejected earlier this month. No charges have yet brought against the brothers.