Renowned country music star Garth Brooks is facing allegations of sexual assault and battery in a recent lawsuit.
Renowned country music star Garth Brooks is facing allegations of sexual assault and battery in a recent lawsuit. A woman known in court documents as “Jane Roe” states that she endured detrimental abuse during her time as Brooks’ hair and makeup stylist.
Prior to Roe’s filing, an anonymous celebrity – now disclosed to be Brooks himself – attempted to block the former stylist from going public with her allegations. Brooks “fiercely denied the claims, according to a previous complaint he had filed as a ‘John Doe.’”
Roe was first employed by Brooks in 2017 and previously did hair and makeup for his wife, Trisha Yearwood, in 1999.
In addition to sexual assault and battery, the suit states that Brooks exposed his genitals and buttocks multiple times, spoke about sex and shared “sexual fantasies” with Roe, and sent her sexually explicit text messages.
In a 2019 incident, Roe was at Brooks’ residence for work when he exited the shower naked. He then “grabbed her hands and forced them onto his genitals,” while harassing her with “sexually explicit and vulgar language.”
In May 2019, the suit alleges that Brooks raped Roe during a business trip to Los Angeles. The two traveled on Brooks’ private jet. “Usually there were others on [his] private jet but this time, Ms. Roe and Brooks were the only two passengers,” the complaint states.
The trip to Los Angeles included the taping of Brooks’ Grammy tribute performance. Upon their arrival at the hotel, “Ms. Roe could not believe that Brooks had booked a hotel suite with one bedroom and she did not have a separate room.”
Roe states that Brooks “appeared in the doorway to the bedroom, completely naked.” Her complaint describes the fear she felt when “trapped in the room alone” with the country singer.
After the alleged rape, Roe claims that the abuse became more frequent. Brooks continued to tell her his sexual fantasies, including his desire to “have a threesome with his wife,” and often groped Roe.
“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,” Brooks’ statement states. In his argument against Roe, Brooks remarks on “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.”
However, Roe’s attorneys continue to fight for their client’s right to justice.
“We are confident that Brooks will be held accountable for his actions,” attorneys Douglas Wigdor, Jeanne M. Christensen, and Hayley Baker said in a statement.
“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.”
Authors: Andy Goldwasser and Alexis Kabat
