Country superstar Garth Brooks has been accused of rape and sexual misconduct in a lawsuit filed this week by an unnamed makeup artist. The woman, identified only as Jane Roe, claimed in the lawsuit that Brooks raped her in a hotel room and that he later subjected her to unwanted sexual advances on multiple occasions, which included exposing himself, sending inappropriate text messages, and groping her breasts.
“Brooks is desperate to prevent his millions of fans from learning about the horrific things he has said and done to a junior female employee who did nothing to deserve such treatment,” the lawsuit claims.
The woman said she began working as a makeup artist for Brooks’ wife, Trisha Yearwood, in 1999 and later worked for Brooks in 2017 and 2019 while dealing with financial issues.
“The suit alleges that she was at Brooks’ home, when he emerged from the shower naked with an erection. She alleges that Brooks forced her to touch his penis, and urged her to perform oral sex. She refused, but continued to work for him,” according to Variety.
“In May 2019, she alleges that Brooks traveled to Los Angeles for a Grammy tribute, and booked a hotel where they would both stay. She alleges that Brooks violently raped her in the hotel room,” the report added.
In other instances, the woman has alleged that Brooks discussed sexual fantasies with her and send lewd text messages. She also said that Brooks would stare at her breasts and pressure her to open her shirt so he can masturbate while groping her breasts.
She filed the lawsuit in Los Angeles state court under the state Sexual Abuse and Cover-Up Accountability Act.
The complaint also noted that Brooks previously filed a preemptive lawsuit against the woman in federal court last month, alleging that she engaged in “extortion, defamation and infliction of emotional distress,” Variety reports.
As the plaintiff in that lawsuit filed on September 13 of this year, Brooks was described as a “celebrity and public figure who resides in Tennessee.”
“Defendant’s allegations are not true,” the complaint from Brooks stated. “Defendant’s publication of these false allegations was not privileged but was made with malice, ill will, and for the improper purpose of extorting an unwarranted payment from Plaintiff.”
The lawsuit sought an injunction to block the woman from her alleged operation of “extortionate conduct.”
Attorney Douglas Wigdor, who represents the woman and who filed #MeToo lawsuits against Harvey Weinstein, said in a statement the lawsuit will show that sexual predators also exist in country music.
“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,” Wigdor and his co-counsels, Jeanne Christensen and Hayley Baker, said.” We are confident that Brooks will be held accountable for his actions and his efforts to silence our client through the filing of a preemptive complaint in Mississippi was nothing other than an act of desperation and attempted intimidation.”