Country music legend Garth Brooks has publicly addressed a lawsuit filed against him that accuses him of battery and sexual assault. The 62-year-old singer, known for his larger-than-life persona and a career spanning decades, is facing serious allegations from a former hair and makeup artist, referred to in court documents as “Jane Roe.” The allegations, which reportedly date back to 2019, have put Brooks in the spotlight for reasons far removed from his music.
The lawsuit, filed on Thursday, October 3, in California, accuses Brooks of engaging in inappropriate sexual behavior and rape. Jane Roe claims that the singer exposed himself to her, discussed sexual topics in person and via text, and forced her into uncomfortable and traumatic situations during their time working together.
Jane Roe began working with Garth Brooks in 2017. According to the lawsuit, the inappropriate behavior started not long after. The court documents detail that Brooks allegedly exposed himself to Roe and initiated sexual conversations on various occasions. The situation escalated in May 2019 when Roe alleges that Brooks sexually assaulted her during a work trip for a Grammys tribute performance.
In one of the key incidents described in the lawsuit, Roe claims that Brooks “forced” her hands onto his genitals after he had taken a shower. She also recounted another disturbing moment when the two were traveling together on Brooks’ private jet to Los Angeles for the Grammy performance. Roe claims that, unlike previous trips when there were other passengers on board, this time, it was just the two of them. When they arrived in LA, Brooks had reportedly booked only one hotel suite with a single bedroom, leaving Roe feeling “trapped.”
The lawsuit further alleges that Brooks appeared naked in the doorway of the bedroom, leaving Roe in shock. She also claims that Brooks frequently talked about wanting to have a threesome with his wife, fellow country star Trisha Yearwood. According to Roe, the conversations left her feeling deeply uncomfortable. Yearwood has not commented on the lawsuit or the allegations at this time.
Before the lawsuit was officially filed, Brooks had already taken steps to try and prevent it from going public. CNN previously reported that an anonymous male celebrity, later identified as Brooks, filed a lawsuit in Mississippi in September, attempting to block an accuser from suing him. The lawsuit, filed under anonymity, sought to protect Brooks from what he described as false accusations, claiming that these allegations would cause “irreparable harm” to his reputation, career, and personal life.
In his initial filing, Brooks denied the claims, stating that the accusations came after he refused to offer salaried employment and medical benefits to his accuser. “Defendant’s allegations are not true,” the lawsuit read. “Defendant is well aware, however, of the substantial, irreparable damage such false allegations would do to Plaintiff’s well-earned reputation as a decent and caring person, along with the unavoidable damage to his family and the irreparable damage to his career and livelihood that would result if she made good on her threat to ‘publicly file’ her fabricated lawsuit.”
Following the lawsuit’s filing on October 3, Brooks released a new public statement, further denying the accusations and alleging that they were part of a scheme to extort money from him.
“For the last two months, I have been hassled to no end with threats, lies, and tragic tales of what my future would be if I did not write a check for many millions of dollars,” Brooks said in a statement to Deadline. “It has been like having a loaded gun waved in my face.”
Brooks continued, saying that he refused to give in to what he described as “hush money.” “Hush money, no matter how much or how little, is still hush money. In my mind, that means I am admitting to behavior I am incapable of—ugly acts no human should ever do to another,” he explained.
The country singer made it clear that he had filed his own lawsuit against Jane Roe weeks earlier, in an effort to combat what he views as extortion and defamation. “We filed suit against this person nearly a month ago to speak out against extortion and defamation of character. We filed it anonymously for the sake of families on both sides.”
Brooks expressed his deep frustration over how the accusations have impacted his life and career. “I want to play music tonight. I want to continue our good deeds going forward. It breaks my heart these wonderful things are in question now. I trust the system, I do not fear the truth, and I am not the man they have painted me to be.”
In response to Brooks’ lawsuit and public statement, Jane Roe’s legal team accused the singer of trying to silence their client by filing his own legal actions. “We are confident that Brooks will be held accountable for his actions,” her attorneys told CNN. “We applaud our client’s courage in moving forward with her complaint against Garth Brooks. The complaint filed today demonstrates that sexual predators exist not only in corporate America, Hollywood, and in the rap and rock and roll industries but also in the world of country music.”
