Andrew Tate names Australian commentator in amended lawsuit

Polarising influencers 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 by avowed misogynist and ‘manfluencer’ Andrew Tate and his brother Tristan in a Florida circuit court last week.

The Tate brothers named Mr Pope, previously only identified in court filings by his online pseudonym Gadget, along with five others they claim “intentionally posted and directed social media postings into the state of Florida, specifically and improperly to influence public opinion”.

The new lawsuit comes after commentators, many of whom were anonymous, initially won a bid to have the claim dismissed in Florida last December, with the court finding they had a lack of jurisdiction over the parties.

The brothers now claim the court has jurisdiction as “substantial acts giving rise to the claims occurred in Florida, were directed to Florida, or were expressly aimed at the (defamation) action and related Florida proceedings”.

They argue the commentators “caused reputational and other harm” to the brothers by “attempting to shape public opinion” surrounding the Tate’s ongoing court proceedings.

“(Defendants directed) false and defamatory statements into Florida in a co-ordinated effort to influence public opinion,” the court filing read.

“Accusations of rape, human trafficking, child exploitation, pimping, grooming, organised crime, fraud, and witness intimidation are especially destructive.

“(Defendants) collectively conspired with each other for their common goal to harm and adversely affect the lawsuit.”

The brothers claimed the commentary damaged their online educational and membership businesses, portraying them as “criminal, unlawful, or built on exploitation”.

They further alleged they injured business loss, lost customers, lost subscribers, diminished platform access, impaired payment processing and increased security concerns among other “compensable harm”.

They argued because the content was accessed in Florida, it constituted “electronic communication” under the US state’s laws.

In the filing, the Tate brothers are described as British-American “entrepreneurs, social-media figures, and businessmen”. The duo, who have amassed millions of followers, claim they chose to live in Romania as the country’s values “aligned with their personal beliefs and lifestyle”. They have been residents since around 2015.

The Tate brothers previously lodged a separate lawsuit directed to the social media platform X, attempting to compel the site to reveal the anonymous commentators’ identities.

Mr Pope was originally among the “Doe Defendants” but has since been identified, telling the ABC he was “bemused” by the amended claim as he has identified himself publicly on numerous occasions.

“I am not sure what took them so long or why they were previously telling the court that I was hiding my identity,” he told the ABC.

The brothers also face charges of rape and human trafficking in the UK and Romania; however, deny the allegations against them.

Mr Pope said being named changes “very little” as the legal battle continues, and he remains steadfast that he has “not defamed anyone”.

He added that he and some of the other defendants were crowdfunding for legal fees to fight against the Tate lawsuits, which he feared were an attempt to “financially drain us”.