Garth Brooks, a prominent figure in the country music industry, is facing allegations of rape and sexual assault as outlined in a lawsuit brought forth by his former hair and make-up artist.
A female individual, referred to as Jane Roe in the legal proceedings, asserts that the incident took place during her journey from Nashville to Los Angeles alongside the artist, who was scheduled to perform at the 2019 Grammy Awards.
The lawsuit, submitted on Thursday in the Los Angeles Superior Court, claims that although Brooks typically travels with a group, he and Brooks flew solo to the event on his private jet, and that he reserved only one hotel suite for their stay.
The individual asserts that in the suite, he was seen unclothed in the entrance to the bedroom and assaulted her.
Brooks’ representatives have not provided any comments to date.
The suit asserts that Books continued as if no incident had occurred and anticipated her to attend to his hair and makeup without delay.
The woman additionally claims that earlier in that same year, while she was at Brooks’ residence, he presented himself unclothed in her presence, seized her hands, and positioned them on his genitals.
In anticipation of potential allegations, Brooks reportedly initiated a distinct lawsuit in federal court in Mississippi last month, wherein both he and the woman remained anonymous, as asserted in Thursday’s lawsuit.
In the legal documents pertaining to the case, the individual identified as John Doe asserted that the claims were “entirely false,” noting that he became aware of them in July when she threatened to initiate a public lawsuit unless he provided her with a substantial sum of money.
The individual petitioned the court to prevent the woman from engaging in actions that could result in intentional emotional distress, defamation, and false light invasion of privacy.
In addition to the two incidents already mentioned, Jane Roe claims that Brooks exposed himself to her on numerous other occasions, engaged in conversations with her about her sexual fantasies, and sent her explicit text messages.
She asserts that her continued employment with him was a result of financial constraints, which he was aware of and exploited.
The unidentified claimant is thought to have been employed by Brooks’ spouse, fellow country artist Trisha Yearwood, since 1999.
Brooks, who hails from Oklahoma and is currently 62 years old, emerged as the preeminent figure in country music during the 1990s, achieving significant success with tracks such as Friends in Low Places and The Thunder Rolls.
He holds the position of the top-selling individual artist in US history, achieving 20 Billboard number one singles and 157 million record sales, as reported on his official website.
In March of this year, he completed a residency at the Colosseum located in Caesars Palace, Las Vegas.
In 2005, he entered into matrimony with fellow country artist Yearwood.