Garth Brooks Accused of Sexual Assault and Battery in Lawsuit

Source: Garth Brooks performs onstage during the Library Of Congress 2024 Gershwin Prize For Popular Song at DAR Constitution Hall on March 20, 2024 in Washington, DC. (Kevin Mazur/Getty Images)

Garth Brooks has been accused of sexual assault and battery in a lawsuit filed by a woman referred to as “Jane Roe.” The woman claims to be a hair-and-makeup artist who worked for Brooks, according to CNN.

The lawsuit was filed in California on Thursday, detailing alleged incidents that occurred in 2019. The lawsuit details multiple alleged instances of sexual misconduct, including a claim that Brooks raped Roe during a 2019 work trip.

Brooks has previously denied the allegations against him anonymously. He petitioned a federal court to deem the allegations “untrue” in an attempt to prevent Roe from further publicizing them prior to the lawsuit filing.

Roe had been Brooks’ hair-and-makeup artist since 2017. Prior to that she’d been hired to do hair and makeup for his wife, Trisha Yearwood, in 1999. CNN reached out to Yearwood’s representatives for a comment.

The allegations include instances of Brooks exposing his genitals and buttocks to Roe on multiple occasions, changing in front of her, sending sexually-explicit text messages, groping, fondling and talking about sex and sexual fantasies.

On one occasion, Roe alleges Brooks walked out of the shower naked while she was working at his house and grabbed her hands, forcing them to touch his genitals.

In another instance, in May 2019, Brooks allegedly raped Roe in a hotel room during a work trip in Los Angeles where the singer was taping a Grammy tribute performance. According to the lawsuit, the pair flew on Brooks’ private jet, which would typically be filled with other people, only had Brooks and Roe as passengers for this trip.

Brooks allegedly only booked one hotel suite with a single bedroom, and proceeded to expose himself to her before raping her. Roe claims to have felt “trapped in the room alone with Brooks,” according to the lawsuit.

After the alleged May incident, Roe claims that the frequency of sexual talk and groping increased, including a suggestion for a threesome with Brooks and his wife, the lawsuit states.

According to CNN, Brooks filed a complaint under the name “John Doe,” claiming Roe’ attorney sent him a “confidential” letter detailing the alleged sexual misconduct because he declined to provide Roe with “salaried employment and medical benefits.”

This is a developing story that will be updated as more details become available.