The following article includes allegations of sexual assault.
More than a decade since his last legal entanglement, country music icon Garth Brooks faces new, serious allegations. On October 3, 2024, a lawsuit was filed by a woman alleging that Brooks, during her tenure as his hair and makeup artist in 2019, subjected her to sexual assault and battery, according to CNN.
These allegations first came to light in early October, when the outlet reported that a month prior, a well-known figure, previously unidentified and referred to only as “John Doe,” sought to preemptively quash the assault allegations of a “Jane Roe.” Doe, who has since been identified as Brooks, argued that Roe’s claims were fabricated, aiming to “irreparably harm” his career. He also made an unusual legal request for the court to prevent Roe from publicizing her allegations, despite the absence of a formal lawsuit at that time. Per AP News, Brooks became aware of Roe’s accusations in July, when she allegedly demanded one million dollars to keep the allegations private. In response, Roe’s legal team urged the court to deny Brooks’s requests, labeling him a “sexual assault predator” who should not receive special consideration due to his celebrity status. “Mr. Doe believes that he is entitled to the same protection victims receive — not to prevent unnecessary re-traumatization, but rather, to maintain his celebrity ‘reputation,'” her attorney wrote, as noted in the documents obtained by CNN.
According to the plaintiff, she has been affiliated with Brooks’ wife Trisha Yearwood since 1999, but only began working directly for Brooks in 2017. She alleges that his inappropriate advances began in 2019, shortly after he learned of her financial troubles.
According to the accuser, the incidents happened in 2019
In a lawsuit filled with distressing details, Jane Roe alleges that her work with Garth Brooks in 2019, driven by financial need, led to a series of grave abuses. As reported by People, Roe’s financial vulnerabilities were allegedly exploited by Brooks, who, according to the complaint, “seized what he saw as an opportunity to subject a female employee to a side of Brooks that he conceals from the public.”
According to The New York Times, one particular incident detailed in the complaint describes a disturbing encounter where Brooks allegedly forced Roe’s hands onto his genitals after emerging from the shower. Roe also claims that Brooks raped her, causing “debilitating pain in her neck and lower back” and leading her to contemplate taking her own life. Despite these experiences, Roe continued to work for Brooks and endured his alleged continued advances, which she said included sending her crude messages, making sexually explicit comments, and frequently groping her, often when she was working on his styling for public appearances, per The Guardian. She claimed his behavior was so pervasive that it was almost impossible for other members of the staff not to be privy to it. Then, in 2020, the same year Roe stopped working for Brooks, he reportedly took her phone and erased most of the explicit text messages he had sent.
Brooks, for his part, denied all the allegations, saying in a statement that there’s absolutely no truth in them, and doubled down on his previous assertion that Roe extorted him for a quick buck. “Hush money, no matter how much or how little, is still hush money,” he said (via Billboard). “In my mind, that means I am admitting to behavior I am incapable of — ugly acts no human should ever do to another… I trust the system, I do not fear the truth, and I am not the man they have painted me to be.”
If you or anyone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, help is available. Visit the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network website or contact RAINN’s National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).
