Country music star Garth Brooks has been accused of sexual assault and assault by a former hair and makeup artist who allegedly raped her in a Los Angeles hotel room in 2019.
The lawsuit, filed Thursday in California’s Jane Roe Court and obtained by USA TODAY, alleges that Mr. Brooks, 62, “seized his female employees as an opportunity to expose himself to Mr. Brooks and hid it from the public.” claims. Brooks believes that he has the right to sexual gratification when he desires, and it is only fair that he uses female employees to obtain it.”
Prior to Ms. Roe’s complaint, CNN reported that the anonymous celebrity plaintiff (now revealed to be Brooks) attempted to prevent his accuser from repeating his allegations publicly, accusing him of physically assaulting women. and denied various allegations of sexual abuse.
Thursday’s lawsuit seeks to block sexual assault allegations from public view through a lawsuit filed in Mississippi federal court by Brooks as John Doe on Sept. 13, the same day Brooks announced his final performance in Las Vegas. This is a follow-up to the previous attempt. Place of residence.
John Doe (Brooks)’s filing last month argued that the sexual assault allegations “cause irreparable harm to Plaintiff’s reputation, family, career, and livelihood.” Brooks married Grammy Award-winning country star Trisha Yearwood in 2005.
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USA TODAY has reached out to representatives for Brooks and Yearwood for comment.
In a statement to USA TODAY, Roe’s attorney said, “We commend our client’s courage in moving forward with the charges against Garth Brooks.”
“The complaint filed today shows that sex offenders are not only working in corporate America, Hollywood, the rap and rock ‘n’ roll industry, but also in the world of country music,” said attorneys Douglas H. Wigdor, Jeanne M. Christensen, and Haley Baker. It shows that it also exists.” in a statement.
“We are confident that Mr. Brooks will be held accountable for his actions, and that his efforts to silence our client by filing pre-emptive charges in Mississippi were a result of desperation. We encourage others who may have been victimized to contact us, as survivors should not suffer in silence. please. ”
Roe’s lawsuit was filed under California’s Sexual Abuse and Concealed Liability Act. The law allows the reinstatement of sexual abuse claims that would otherwise be barred by the statute of limitations.
Garth Brooks denies accusations: ‘I’m not who they portray me to be’
In a statement obtained by USA TODAY Thursday evening, Brooks said he trusts “the system” and added, “I’m not afraid of the truth. I’m not who they portray me to be. ” he added.
“For the past two months, I have been bombarded with endless threats, lies, and tragic stories about what my future will be if I don’t write a check for millions of dollars. Waving a loaded gun, It was like holding it ‘in my face,'” Brooks continued.
“Regardless of the amount, hush money is still hush money. In my mind, it means doing something you can’t do, something ugly that a human being should never do to another person.” It means acknowledging,” Brooks continued in his September speech. suit. “We filed a lawsuit against this person almost a month ago against extortion and defamation. We filed the lawsuit anonymously on behalf of both families.”
Brooks concluded, “I want to play music tonight. I want to continue our good deeds. It breaks my heart that these great things are now being questioned.”
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Lawyer Jane Roe compares country legend to embattled tycoon Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs
In a statement obtained by USA TODAY on Friday, an attorney representing Roe compared Brooks to Sean “Diddy” Combs. The embattled music mogul has been under fire since he was arrested on federal sex charges at a Manhattan hotel last month.
“While Mr. Brooks cannot participate in settlement negotiations, his suggestion that he is unwilling to pay millions of dollars is simply not true,” the statement said. “Sean Combs and Garth Brooks appear to be using the same public relations team by attacking legitimate victims. We are very confident in this case and hope that over time, the public will You will get to know his true character, not his highly selective persona.”
Wigdor is also representing Combs’ ex-girlfriend, Cassandra “Cathy” Ventura, in legal proceedings against the Bad Boy Records founder.
Garth Brooks’ former employee claims sexual abuse began in 2019
The 27-page lawsuit alleges that Jane Roe, an anonymous celebrity makeup artist, was first hired in 1999 as a hair stylist and makeup artist for Brooks’ wife, Trisha Yearwood. In her lawsuit, Lo claims she continued to work “for many years and for many other celebrities.”
She started doing makeup and hairstyling for Brooks in 2017. The abuse allegations began two years later.
According to the complaint, Roe had gone to Brooks’ home to get her hair done and make-up done, but “Mr. Brooks came out of the shower naked, erect and pointing his penis at Roe. “She looked up in horror.” ”The man then grabbed her hand and “pressed it against his erect penis,” the complaint states.
“Brooks allegedly told Ms Lowe that he had fantasized about this moment and specifically wanted her to perform oral sex on him so that he would ‘come all over her face’ while she was ‘wearing her glasses.’ ,” the lawsuit continues.
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Another example of Lowe’s allegation of sexual assault by Brooks occurred in May 2019, when Lowe traveled to Los Angeles to attend the Grammy Awards memorial service for 14-time Grammy nominee R&B singer Sam Moore. That was when I visited. Law and Brooks were the only passengers on his private jet, and Brooks booked a one-bedroom hotel suite without a separate room for a makeup artist, according to the complaint.
Again, Brooks made sexual advances “while completely naked in the doorway of the bedroom,” the complaint says. “Mr. Roe immediately felt sick to his stomach when he found out he was locked in a room alone with Mr. Brooks, with no one to help him, and far from Nashville.”
The suit states that Lo felt her “worst fears came true” when the country singer “towered over her” and “couldn’t escape his physical control.”
“She was unable to escape his grasp and was terrified of what was happening to her,” the lawsuit states. Blood rushed to her head and she felt dizzy and sick.” While forcibly penetrating her, Brooks said perverted things to Ms Law about her sexual abilities. ”
The lawsuit says that after the rape allegation, Brooks “callously ignored” Law as he continued to do her hair and makeup at Grammy Awards events.
Lawsuit: Garth Brooks sent ‘explicit sexually explicit text messages’ suggesting threesome with wife Trisha Yearwood
The lawsuit alleges that after the sexual assault in Los Angeles, Brooks expressed sexual fantasies to Rowe “with increasing frequency, along with physically groping Rowe’s breasts while she was doing her hair and makeup.” “It was.”
The country singer’s sexual conversations with Rowe included “repeatedly mentioning having threesomes with his wife, Yearwood, and hinting that Rowe might be the third person.” “I was there.”
Law said he believed Brooks’ wife had heard those comments “at least once,” according to the complaint.
Following a 2020 incident in which Brooks allegedly made overtly sexual comments to Law in front of his manager and wife, Law sent the singer a text message.
The message read: “I can’t work in an environment where sexually explicit comments about shampoo bottles doubling as dildos are made. I mean no harm to you, and if you really value my work, tomorrow… Or both, I’m happy to come to work” whenever you need my services. ”
Law moved to Mississippi by 2021, according to the lawsuit.
Although anonymous, the complaint states, “Through her hard work, skill, and dedication, Ms. Lo has been featured in countless publications, including Rolling Stone, Vanity Fair, InStyle, Esquire, and Nash Magazine. “I have done hair styling and makeup for.” . ”
Garth Brooks announces end of Las Vegas residency ahead of lawsuit
After selling more than 150 million albums, filling stadiums for decades, and winning such high honors as the Gershwin Award for Popular Song and the Kennedy Center Honors, Brooks released a sold-out album in September. It has been announced that the final performance of the Garth Brooks/Plus One Residency will be held at the Coliseum. At Caesars Palace in Las Vegas.
“If there’s any guy out there who’s going to do this for the rest of his life, it’s going to be me,” Brooks said in an exclusive interview with USA TODAY last month. “I’m going to miss it. The crowds are amazing. We’ll have Garth crowds around everyone, but it’s a big difference to put your phone in your bag[during the show]because every show is a surprise for the fans. So it’s always been that way.” It’s great, I hate to see it end. ”
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He added that after his residency show, his job in 2025 is to “become a plus one.”
“My wife is so sweet that she’s always there for me whenever I need her,” Brooks said. “I need to give it back and I need to hear her more than one song a night. I told her I’ll be her front. I’ll be backstage and do whatever she needs.” I will do whatever it takes.”
Brooks is a two-time Grammy Award winner and has sold more than 162 million albums, making him the second best-selling artist of all time in the United States.
Contributed by: Melissa Ruggieri
