The mother of a man who died after injecting his scrotum with silicone is suing his five boyfriends claiming they forced her son to inflate his testicles to the 'size of a basketball'.

Linda Chapman filed a lawsuit in King County, Washington, in September over the death of her son Tank Hafertepen in October 2018 of a pulmonary embolism.

Along with her son Ben, Linda is are seeking punitive damages, claiming 'master' Dylan Hafertepen and his 'pups' Daniel Balderas Hafertepen, Charles Osborn, Matthew Scott, and Philip Myers helped to manipulate and humiliate Tank into injecting himself.

Tank is said to have started the silicone injections in 2014 on Dylan's command.

He continued taking them until his death as part of the alleged 'cult' scene in Seattle, fronted by Dylan who required his followers to have engorged scrotums alongside other physical attributes.

The pair, who ran popular social media accounts, regularly posted photos where they are shirtless, in jockstraps and harnesses, or naked. In many of the images, the pups - including Tank - are seen with enlarged testicles.

And when asked by one of their fans how big he intended his scrotum to become Tank replied: 'Master will decide when enough is enough.'

Jack 'Tank' Chapman, left, who called himself a 'pup', posted a contract he shared with 'master' Dylan Hafertepen, right, to his now deactivated Tumblr account in December 2012

Linda Chapman filed a lawsuit in King County, Washington, in September over the death of her son Tank Hafertepen in October 2018 of a pulmonary embolism. She is suing his five boyfriends claiming they forced her son to inflate his testicles to the 'size of a basketball'

Tank, right, is said to have started the silicone injections in 2014 on Dylan's, left, command

Citing wrongful death, negligence, intentional infliction of emotional distress, and civil conspiracy, the Chapmans' lawyer Joe Murphy said: 'They robbed her of her right to be his mother.'

Murphy told The Daily Beast: 'We filed this suit to bring some closure and resolution. One of the most important parts to her will be discovery. She wants to know what happened. Why was she never called?'

A former submissive of Dylan speaks out A former submissive of Dylan, Kyle Kingsbury, told Daily Mail Australia while some of the contract is standard in a submissive/dominant relationship, he found other parts deeply concerning. 'There are a few things I would say are unique to leather and dom play, which can look like abuse - like wearing a collar,' he explained. 'However, Jack told us that he felt Dylan was abusive towards him. Dylan isolated Jack from his support network, and he threatened Jack with a lawsuit if he talked about their relationship. These are not signs of a healthy leather relationship. 'Some of Jack's friends - people who spoke out against Dylan - were blocked from speaking with Jack. 'Others received unusual apologies, insisting that Jack had spread malicious lies about Dylan and Dylan had done nothing wrong. 'These things crossed a line for me. 'At some level there has to be an escape hatch so you can exchange with someone truthfully and have your needs met, and you have to be able to engage with your peers for support or a reality check.' Advertisement

Tank, a 'pup' and Dylan, the 'master', lived in a polyamorous relationship with the other men at the time of his death. The 'pups' agreed to follow Dylan’s orders, the suit alleges.

The men all lifted weights and would begin by injecting their penises and testicles with saline for a temporary change before moving on to illegal silicone implants.

The complaint alleges Dylan did not tell Linda or Ben that Tank had fallen ill or even when he died.

Dylan even continued to post online after his boyfriend's death as if Tank were still alive, according to reports.

Tank, who changed his name from Jack Chapman to his pup name of Tank Heathcliff Hafertepen, also had 'Property of Master Dylan' tattooed under his 'master's' astrological sign on his lower back.

He also emigrated from Australia to America and is said to have cut contact with his family under Dylan's instruction.

Dylan flew from the US to Australia to deliver Jack's ashes back to his family, in a dramatic meeting filmed by The Project.

In the episode Linda confronted Dylan asking: 'What sort of person injects into their balls... what sort of person does that?

'Someone who feels so badly about themselves, someone who was vulnerable, who just wanted your love at any cost … and the cost of his life.'

Linda claims 'master' Dylan Hafertepen and his 'pups' Daniel Balderas Hafertepen, Charles Osborn, Matthew Scott, and Philip Myers helped to manipulate and humiliate Tank, pictured

Tank often shared photos on Instagram or Tumblr, shirtless, in jockstraps and harnesses

A contract Tank posted to his blog included the lines: 'A pup's mind is the exclusive property of his master at all times.'

He posted a detailed contract with his 'master', which said his body was the 'exclusive property' of his partner.

Tank posted the 2,000-word contract he shared with Dylan to his now deactivated Tumblr account in December 2012.

In it, the pair agree Dylan has complete control over Tank's body, and can order modifications such as tattoos, scrotal inflation and steroid use.

'Master has explicit body goals for his pup regarding their weight, their muscle mass, their measurements and their proportions,' the contract reads.

'The pup will make all efforts possible to ensure these goals are realised and should never feel satisfied until his Master is satisfied. There is always additional room for a pup to push their physical limits.

'Additionally, a pup will submit to all orders for body modifications, including piercings, tattoos, scrotal saline inflation as well as body growth supplements including steroids and HGH - in accordance to the wishes of the Master.'

Other parts of the contract dictate: 'Master’s word is law and must be trusted and obeyed'.

'In an ideal mindset/subspace, Master’s word should overwrite a pup’s internal reality and be accepted as absolute truth.'

Dylan told Buzzfeed the agreement he posted online was a work of erotic fiction.

But when the two split Tank is said to have told friends Dylan 'physical imprisoned' him. And the complaint alleges Dylan even tried to sue Tank during one of their breaks claiming he owed him rent and money for silicone before the pair reconciled.

In an interview with International Pup Play in May 2017 Tank said people had expressed concerns about his relationship with Dylan.

'I have had a few people that have expressed their concerns to me over the last couple of years,' he said.

'There are some people that have sort of expressed their concerns early on where they’ve expressed "Jack, or Tank, you are losing your sense of self and I am worried for you".

'And then you’ve got other people, which have had concerns themselves but have eventually sort of come around and think, "Well, I might not necessarily always understand the choices that you make but you’re happy and I can see that and that’s the most important thing".'

The complaint alleges Dylan, left, did not tell Linda or Ben that Tank, right, had fallen ill or even when he died

A contract Tank posted to his blog included the lines: 'A pup's mind is the exclusive property of his master at all times.' He posted a detailed contract with his 'master', which said his body was the 'exclusive property' of his partner

The Chapmans also plan to sue Dylan and the 'pups' for the forced alteration of a will after $200,000 from Tank's father was left to his 'master' in a will written just three weeks before his death.

Dylan said previously: 'Tank had wanted the money to go towards our home together, but without Tank it's a reminder of what I've lost.'

The men did not respond to a request for comment from The Daily Beast. Dylan previously told Buzzfeed: 'This was his fetish. I did not make him inject silicone. On the contrary, I helped him get some removed.'