Garth Brooks is accused of sexual harassment by a former employee in a new lawsuit

Country star Garth Brooks has been accused of sexual assault and assault in a lawsuit filed by a former hairdresser and makeup artist named “Jane Roe.” The lawsuit, filed Oct. 3 in California state court, accuses Brooks of, among other things, sexually assaulting Roe during a work trip in 2019. Roe claims she was raped by Brooks in a Los Angeles hotel room during the trip, where Brooks was recording a Grammy tribute performance. The lawsuit also accuses Brooks of exposing himself and sending sexually explicit messages.

Roe claims Brooks first hired her in 2017, even though she had worked for his wife, Trisha Yearwood, since 1999. Representatives for Brooks and Yearwood did not respond to CNN’s request for comment. According to Roe, the misconduct occurred when she and Brooks traveled together on his private jet to Los Angeles, where he allegedly booked a single hotel suite for both of them. Roe’s lawsuit describes feeling “trapped” and recounts an incident in which Brooks allegedly came out of the shower naked and forced her hands on his genitals.

Brooks had previously filed a lawsuit under the pseudonym “John Doe” to stop Roe from repeating the allegations. His lawyers described the allegations as false and defamatory. Roe lawyers Douglas H. Wigdor, Jeanne M. Christensen and Hayley Baker told CNN that Brooks’ attempts to silence their client were “an act of desperation and an attempt at intimidation.”

“We are confident that Brooks will be held accountable for his actions,” the attorneys said, praising their client’s courage in moving forward with the lawsuit.