Garth Brooks denies sexual assault allegations following lawsuit from a former employee

Garth Brooks has spoken out about a former employee’s sexual assault allegations and denied any wrongdoing.

It comes as a woman using the pseudonym Jane Roe filed a lawsuit in court against the country star, accusing him of sexual assault and battery.

Roe’s allegations said Brooks raped her in a hotel room in 2019 and groped her and made sexually explicit comments while she worked as his hairdresser and makeup artist between 2017 and 2020.

In the Los Angeles court filing, Roe also claimed that she had considered taking her own life after the sexual assault cases became “so unbearable.”

Now the two-time Grammy winner has spoken out about the allegations against him and branded the lawsuit as an attempt to extort “millions of dollars”.

“For the past two months, I have been endlessly plagued with threats, lies and tragic stories about what my future would look like if I did not write a multi-million dollar check,” he said in a new statement (via Independent). “It was like a loaded gun was being waved in my face.”

He continued: “Hush money, no matter how much or how little, is still hush money.” In my mind, that means I’m admitting to behavior I’m incapable of – ugly acts that no human being would do to another should.”

According to the lawsuit, Roe felt compelled to continue working for Brooks because of her financial situation. She also claims that the musician knew about the financial hardship she was in and was allegedly exploiting her because of it.

Lawyers from Wigdor LLP shared a statement P.A (above LBC), spoke on behalf of the woman and said: “We applaud our client’s courage in pursuing her complaint against Garth Brooks. “The complaint filed today shows that sexual predators exist not only in corporate America, in Hollywood, and in the rap and rock and roll industries, but also in the world of country music.”

They continued: “We are confident that Brooks will be held accountable for his actions, and his efforts to silence our client by filing a preemptive lawsuit in Mississippi were nothing short of an act of desperation and an attempt at intimidation.” We encourage others who may have been victimized to reach out to us as no survivor should suffer in silence.”

Ahead of Roe’s filing, Brooks filed an anonymous lawsuit in Mississippi last month. In it, he asked a judge to stop publishing “false allegations of sexual misconduct” because it would “cause irreparable harm to his reputation, his family, his career and his livelihood.”

In conversation with P.AThe singer-songwriter shared a statement regarding the former employee’s allegations. “I want to play music tonight. I would like to continue our good deeds in the future. It breaks my heart that these wonderful things are now in question,” he said.

“I trust the system, I’m not afraid of the truth and I’m not the man they made me out to be.”

For more help, advice or more information about sexual harassment, assault and rape in the UK, visit the Rape Crisis charity website. In the US, visit RAINN.