Garth Brooks accused of rape in new lawsuit
An unnamed hair and make-up artist says Garth Brooks raped her whereas she did his hair and make-up.
Garth Brooks has responded in court docket to a sexual assault and battery lawsuit anonymously filed final week by his former hair and make-up artist.
In court docket paperwork filed Tuesday and obtained by USA TODAY, Brooks identifies himself as the John Doe who initiated a case in Mississippi federal court docket Sept. 13 by asking a choose to preemptively declare sexual misconduct allegations from a lady – recognized then as Jane Roe – to be unfaithful and award him damages for emotional misery and defamation.
The allegations first turned public when Roe filed a civil lawsuit in Los Angeles Superior Court Thursday accusing the nation celebrity of raping her in a Los Angeles lodge room in 2019. In Tuesday's amended grievance, Brooks additionally names the girl accusing him of sexual assault.
The intention of the nameless grievance, in which Brooks is described as “a celebrity and public figure who resides in Tennessee,” was “to avoid the irreparable harm to reputation that he seeks to prevent (through) this action,” the submitting states. In a separate submitting, Brooks denounces Roe's authorized staff for naming him in her California lawsuit earlier than the Mississippi court docket might rule whether or not to permit Brooks to proceed the case with a pseudonym.
Roe's legal professionals “wrested the decision” from the court docket by figuring out Brooks as the defendant in her sexual assault case in an Oct. 3 CNN article, which they are saying revealed earlier than her go well with was “available on a public docket.”
Brooks' legal professionals be aware that in an Oct. 1 submitting, Roe's legal professionals stated she respects the court docket's authority “to decide whether Mr. Doe can proceed under a pseudonym” and “will wait until later this week to make sure there is no objection from this Honorable Court before filing her California action in this manner.”
Jane Roe's legal professionals slam Garth Brooks: ‘He publicly named a rape sufferer'
In a press release shared with USA TODAY Tuesday, Roe's legal professionals – Douglas H. Wigdor, Jeanne M. Christensen and Hayley Baker – denounced Brooks for naming their shopper in his submitting.
“Garth Brooks just revealed his true self. Out of spite and to punish, he publicly named a rape victim,” the attorneys stated. “With no legal justification, Brooks outed her because he thinks the laws don't apply to him. On behalf of our client, we will be moving for maximum sanctions against him immediately.”
Wigdor denounced Brooks's claims that he was being extorted by Roe. “He is far from the victim of a shakedown and in fact offered millions of dollars to keep this matter from becoming public,” he informed USA TODAY.
When reached for remark about Roe's authorized staff's assertion, a consultant for Brooks pointed to Tuesday's filings as “self-explanatory.”
‘Fallible people with inevitable flaws': Why the Garth Brooks information is an essential reminder
Garth Brooks says he's ‘the sufferer of a shakedown'
Brooks, who denies all of Roe's allegations, calls himself “the victim of a shakedown” that started 4 years in the past.
In his amended grievance, Brooks describes Roe as an “independent contractor” who labored with him “for approximately fifteen years before she relocated from Tennessee to Mississippi in May 2020.”
After transferring, she began requesting help amid monetary difficulties, with Brooks complying “out of loyalty,” he claims. She then allegedly made extra calls for for monetary help, and when he declined to supply her a wage and medical advantages, she levied “false and outrageous allegations of sexual misconduct she claims occurred years ago,” Brooks says.
He first realized of Roe's allegations when her legal professionals despatched a letter in July with what he calls “fabricated allegations,” in keeping with his Tuesday submitting. Her legal professionals allegedly requested Brooks to pay “millions of dollars” in change for not submitting the lawsuit in what he calls “blackmail correspondence.”
In mild of “Roe’s willingness to proceed under her name in this litigation” and her staff publicly naming Brooks in the California lawsuit, Brooks filed an amended grievance with out pseudonyms.
In their Oct. 1 opposition to Brooks' movement to proceed with a pseudonym, Roe's legal professionals wrote, “Although Ms. Roe believes that her name warrants protection and that ultimately the California court should decide that issue, she is willing to proceed using her name here if this Court believes that is necessary in denying Plaintiff’s motion.”
In an Oct. 3 assertion, Brooks denied Roe's accusations and stated: “I do not fear the truth, and I am not the man they have painted me to be.”
Garth Brooks seemingly addresses rape accusations on Facebook Live
Days after the lawsuit in opposition to Brooks turned public, the singer seemingly addressed the chance of a two-year authorized battle following Roe's accusations.
“Lot's happened in the last two weeks. Let's address the elephant in the room, shall we?” Brooks stated in a video throughout his Facebook Live show “Inside Studio G” shared Oct. 7. “This thing is on; it's gonna happen.”
Alluding to the authorized battle, Brooks stated: “People are telling me it could be up to two years. So my suggestion is, we all take a deep breath, just kinda settle in and let’s hold hands and take a trip together. Because it is something that we cannot talk about. That's all we can say about it.”
Former worker of Garth Brooks alleges sexual abuse started in 2019
According to Roe's 27-page lawsuit, she was first employed in 1999 as a hairstylist and make-up artist for Brooks' spouse, Trisha Yearwood. In the go well with, Roe claims she continued to work for Yearwood “over the years, as well as for many other celebrities.”
In 2017, Brooks additionally turned one of her claims, she stated. The alleged abuse started two years later.
Accuser's lawsuit: Jane Roe particulars alleged assault and rape as Garth Brooks denies claims
According to the go well with, Roe was at Brooks' home to type his hair and do his make-up when “she looked up in horror as Brooks walked out of the shower, naked, with an erection and pointing his penis at Ms. Roe.” He then proceeded to seize her arms “and forced them onto his erect penis,” the go well with said.
“Brooks appallingly told Ms. Roe that he had fantasized about this moment and wanted her to perform oral sex on him so that he could ‘come all over her face,' specifically while she had her ‘glasses on,'” the lawsuit continues.
Brooks additionally allegedly sexually assaulted her in May 2019 after they traveled to Los Angeles to attend a Grammy tribute for R&B singer Sam Moore. He allegedly “forcefully penetrated her” in a lodge suite earlier than she did his hair and make-up for the occasion, Roe claimed.
Contributing: Pamela Avila
If you're a survivor of sexual assault, RAINN affords help by way of the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 800.656.HOPE (4673) and Hotline.RAINN.org and en Español RAINN.org/es.
