Andrew Tate files defamation suits against Meta, TikTok
Aug. 19 (UPI) -- Influencer Andrew Tate filed federal lawsuits against Meta and TikTok that contend the social media platforms slandered him.
The suits, filed last week in Los Angeles County Superior Court, alleged "defamation, civil conspiracy, and tortious interference, accusing both tech giants of publishing false, reckless, and inflammatory statements that portrayed Tate as a sex trafficker, without evidence, without trial, and without due process."
Tate said that both companies put out public statements after banning him in 2022 that accused him of criminal behavior and human trafficking, whcih he alleged inteded to denigrate him and purposely sabotage his reputation.
"We are not just defending a man's name," Tate's lawyer Joseph D. McBride said in a press release. "We are drawing a line in the sand: powerful institutions do not get to declare guilt by press release and hide behind algorithms when challenged in a court of law."
The suits are seeking both punitive damages and compensation, although it is unclear how much money is being demanded.
Tate posted to X Sunday that he has allegedly "allocated [$400 million] of personal funds to battle Google, Meta, TikTok," as well as any "Twitter account that defamed me."
Twitter is the former name of X, and the lawsuit does not mention it or Google.
Tate also said he will challenge the BBC and "Every single girl who lied about me" in the post.
Tate and his brother Tristan Tate have been charged by British prosecutors in May with human trafficking, rape and actual bodily harm, plus Andrew Tate has additionally been accused controlling prostitution. They both also face similar charges of human trafficking and sexual misconduct in Romania.
The two returned to the United States in February, and Florida's attorney general opened an investigation into them both after they arrived in Miami.
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