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Garth Brooks files countersuit against accuser for rape and sexual assault

Garth Brooks files countersuit against accuser for rape and sexual assault

Garth Brooks has publicly named his rape accuser in a countersuit, demanding that she pay him damages for emotional distress and defamation.

In papers filed Tuesday, attorneys for Brooks’ alleged victim condemn the country music megastar for revealing her name because she filed the papers anonymously as “Jane Roe” when she accused him of raping her. The accuser previously worked as a hair and makeup artist for Brooks and his wife, country singer Trisha Yearwood.

Brooks actually first sued Roe in federal court in Mississippi last month under the name John Doe. He decided to sue Roe for racketeering and defamation because she allegedly threatened him in July and vowed to publicly sue him if he didn’t pay her millions of dollars.

Brooks’ “John Doe vs. Jane Roe” lawsuit simply describes him as “a celebrity and public figure who lives in Tennessee.” Roe lives in Mississippi, which is why he filed the lawsuit there.

Roe’s initial threats did not result in a lawsuit for Brooks. Instead, they came in the form of a “confidential” letter from Roe’s attorney dated July 17, 2024. Brooks said the letter was the first he had learned of the allegations against him, which included allegations of sexual “grooming.” included a sexually hostile work environment, unwanted sexual touching and sexual assault.

Roe also noted that she believed Brooks would hire someone to kill her.

RELATED STORY | Garth Brooks responds to rape allegations from a hairdresser and makeup artist

Roe, through her attorney, sent a follow-up letter dated August 23, 2024, stating that she would refrain from publicly suing Brooks in exchange for a multimillion-dollar payout.

Brooks responded to that follow-up letter with his lawsuit, and Roe then filed his own lawsuit against Brooks, accusing him of raping her in a Los Angeles hotel room in October 2019. According to the lawsuit, Brooks booked a single hotel suite so they could share. She said he showed up naked in a doorway of the suite, raped her and then proceeded as usual, expecting her to take care of her hair and makeup.

Roe’s lawsuit also alleges that Brooks appeared naked in front of her earlier this year, grabbed her hands and placed them on his genitals. She claims Brooks exposed himself to her on multiple occasions, discussed sexual fantasies and sent her explicit text messages. These texts were also recorded as evidence.

Brooks has vehemently denied the allegations made against him. According to Brooks’ most recent filings, Roe worked for him as an independent contractor in Tennessee for about 15 years before moving to Mississippi.

Brooks claims she asked him for financial support shortly after moving to Mississippi in 2020 and that he helped her out of loyalty and friendship. However, he says her demands increased and she eventually wanted a salary with medical benefits. According to Brooks, she only made these “outrageous” allegations of sexual misconduct after he rejected her salary request.

Scripps News and Court TV are not mentioning Roe by name because we do not name people who claim to be victims of sexual assault unless they identify themselves publicly.

This story was originally published by Katie McLaughlin at Court TV.

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