Trial of High Court claims against Andrew Tate brought forward to next summer

Independent

4 hours ago

The trial of civil claims against social media influencer Andrew Tate is due to be held months earlier than originally planned after a High Court judge said she was 'very keen to get on' with the case.
Four women are suing the former professional kickboxer over allegations of sexual violence, including that he grabbed one by the throat on several occasions in 2015, assaulted her with a belt and pointed a gun at her face.
Tate's barristers told an earlier court hearing that there was 'total denial of wrongdoing'.
In written submissions for a hearing on Wednesday, barristers for the women said that following a preliminary hearing in April this year, a 16-day trial had been listed to start on February 22 2027.
But Mrs Justice Lambert told the court in London that she was 'very keen to get on' with the case and that it should be listed sooner, fixing the trial to start on June 22 2026.
The trial could last up to five weeks, with a further preliminary hearing expected to take place at a later date.
She said: 'We just need to make this happen, really.
'It is not in anyone's interests that this case goes into the long grass of 2027.'
Following the short hearing, the four claimants said: 'We welcome the judge's decision to bring our case forward.
'We've already spent years waiting for justice, and so it's of some comfort to hear that Andrew Tate will face these allegations in a court earlier than the original plan of 2027.'
Matt Jury, managing partner of law firm McCue Jury & Partners, which represents the women, said: 'We commend the judge's decision to move the trial forward to next summer.
'It's another step toward justice that's already been far too long in coming.'
The hearing in April was told that the case is believed to be a legal first as it will consider whether allegations of coercive control, in a civil context, could amount to intentional infliction of harm.
Judge Richard Armstrong said that the claimants were 'seeking damages likely to reach six figures'.
The women are bringing a civil case against Tate at the High Court after the Crown Prosecution Service decided not to prosecute in 2019, with their allegations including rape and sexual assault.
Three of the British accusers were the subject of an investigation by Hertfordshire Constabulary, which was closed in 2019.
In court documents, one woman suing Tate claimed he 'would strangle her or grab her by her throat if she spoke back to him or said anything that he did not like… until she told him that she loved him or apologised for whatever he demanded at the time'.
She said he, and his brother Tristan Tate, 'played good cop and bad cop to manipulate her', and that Tate allegedly put her in a headlock or whipped her with a belt if she did not get out of bed and do work for his webcam business.
The documents also allege Tate 'had weapons, including firearms, which were often pointed at her' and that he had 'indicated to her that he would like to kill someone if he could'.
Tate said that her account was 'fabrication' and a 'pack of lies', and has previously described the allegations as 'unproven and untested'.
In a statement, a spokesperson for Tate previously said: 'He denies ever threatening anyone with a firearm, engaging in non-consensual acts or subjecting any individual to physical or psychological harm.
'These are civil claims, brought years after the alleged events and following a CPS decision not to pursue criminal charges.
'It is deeply troubling that such graphic and one-sided accounts are being publicised before any judicial assessment has taken place.'
The statement added: 'Mr Tate will defend himself vigorously and remains confident the truth will prevail.'