LOS ANGELES – Garth Brooks, one of the biggest stars in country music history, has been named in a lawsuit accusing him of raping a hair and makeup artist he employed in 2019.
The lawsuit, obtained by Variety and CNN, mentions two specific incidents in which Brooks is accused of committing sexual assault and battery against the woman.
In the first, the plaintiff, identified only as “Jane Roe,” claims she visited Brooks’s house to style his hair and apply makeup when he “grabbed her hands and forced them” on his genitals and asked her to perform oral sex.
The woman says she refused but opted not to leave Brooks’ employment at the time “knowing she needed the work,” the lawsuit states.
In May 2019, the woman says she flew on a private jet with Brooks to Los Angeles for a Grammy tribute to Sam Moore. There, she claims Brooks booked them into the same hotel room where he raped her.
“She was helpless to move from his grip and terrified at what was happening to her,” the suit alleges, divulging graphic details of the alleged rape.
In a previous suit filed anonymously to stop Roe from publicly repeating the allegations, Brooks denied the allegations. That suit stated that the allegations came about after “John Doe,” now revealed to be Brooks, denied her requests for salaried employment and medical benefits.
“Defendant’s allegations are not true,” Brooks’ previous lawsuit states, according to CNN.
“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, along with 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.”
The lawsuit is seeking an unspecified amount in damages.