Warning: This contains references to sexual violence.
Controversial influencer Andrew Tate has been accused of sexual assault and battery by his ex-girlfriend as she seeks a temporary restraining order.
Brianna Stern, who claimed she had been in a relationship with Mr Tate since 2024 for almost a year, has filed a lawsuit against the self-described misogynist influencer in the Los Angeles County Superior Court.
Ms Stern said in a social media post that during the course of their relationship, Mr Tate had told her on many occasions that if she crossed him, he would ruin her life, rape her or kill her.
"Coming out about this is really terrifying in all aspects," she wrote.
"The entire situation is very traumatic and extremely difficult."
Ms Stern said she would not publicly discuss the details of her relationship with Mr Tate beyond what her legal representative, Tony Buzbee, had outlined in her lawsuit.
"The facts alleged in the lawsuit filed yesterday [March 27] are extremely disturbing," Mr Buzbee said in a statement.
"I am extremely proud to represent Bri Stern. She has demonstrated incredible courage to come forward and make her voice heard. I look forward to presenting the facts of this case in court."
Mr Tate's lawyer, Joseph McBride, has labelled Ms Stern's legal move as a method to "weaponise the Tate scandal to pump her crypto", which he claimed had gone up by 288 per cent in one night.
Charges after charges
Andrew Tate and his brother Tristan Tate are facing multiple charges, including human trafficking and soliciting, in Romania and the US.
The brothers currently remain under judicial control in Romania after returning from the US, where the pair faced a criminal investigation launched by Florida's Attorney-General James Uthmeier.
Prosecutors in Romania alleged that Andrew and Tristan Tate and two women set up a criminal organisation in the eastern European country and Britain in early 2021 and sexually exploited several victims.
The Mr Tate bothers have been both accused of human trafficking, with Andrew Tate also charged with rape.
Andrew Tate turned to social media platforms to promote his often misogynistic and divisive views on how to be successful after being removed from the 2016 Big Brother UK reality television show due to a video showing him attacking a woman.
Banned from Instagram and TikTok for his views, Andrew Tate is followed by more than 10 million people on X, where his posts are often homophobic and racist.
