KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 13 — Singer Garth Brooks has vehemently denied allegations of sexual assault, branding the lawsuit brought forward by a former employee as a “shakedown.”
The country music legend was the target of a lawsuit from a former hairstylist, identified only as Jane Roe who used to work for Brooks and his wife Trisha Yearwood. Roe alleged the singer raped her during a work trip in 2019 and sent her sexually explicit text messages.
Brooks had attempted to block the filing before Roe made it, originally entering the request under the name John Doe. His identity was later revealed to The Mirror US.
In response, Brooks filed two complaints in the US District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi, denying allegations against him and stated he was the “victim of a shakedown” in documents obtained by The Mirror US.
He stated he wanted to “defend himself against extortion” and asked for a trial by jury, describing the accuser as an “independent contractor” and when she moved from Tennessee to Mississippi she asked for financial assistance, which he gave.
She then allegedly asked for “salaried employment and medical benefits,” according to Brooks’ lawsuit, to which he declined, followed by “false and outrageous allegations” in a letter sent to Brooks on July 17.
In a statement to CNN, Brooks said: “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.
“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.”
On Thursday, Brooks outed Jane Roe’s identity, using her real name in his complaint, according to Fox 17 News.
Roe’s lawyers filed an emergency motion shortly after the complaint was released, demanding sanctions against Brooks and are requesting to seal his complaint that uses their client’s name, accusing Brooks of “unlawfully and intentionally disclosing the identity of a rape victim without her consent.”
