Garth Brooks denies rape accusations, says he's 'not the man they have painted me to be'
Garth Brooks, a household name in country music, was accused of sexual assault and battery by a former hair and make-up artist alleging he raped her in a Los Angeles hotel room in 2019.
The lawsuit, filed by a Jane Roe in California court on Thursday and obtained by USA TODAY, alleges Brooks, 62, "seized what he saw as an opportunity to subject a female employee to a side of Brooks that he conceals from the public. This side of Brooks believes he is entitled to sexual gratification when he wants it, and using a female employee to get it, is fair game."
Prior to Roe's filing, it was reported by CNN that an anonymous celebrity plaintiff – now disclosed to be Brooks – tried to block his accuser from publicly repeating her allegations and denied the woman's various claims of physical and sexual abuse.
The Thursday lawsuit follows an apparent attempt by Brooks to block the sexual assault claims from public view via a lawsuit he filed, as John Doe, on Sept. 13 in Mississippi federal court, the same day the country singer announced the conclusion of his Las Vegas residency.
Last month's filing from John Doe, or Brooks, alleged that the sexual assault claims "would irreparably harm Plaintiff’s reputation, family, career and livelihood." Brooks has been married to Grammy Award-winning country star Trisha Yearwood since 2005.
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USA TODAY has reached out to representatives of Brooks and Yearwood for comment.
In a statement to USA TODAY, Roe's attorneys "applaud our client's courage in moving forward with her complaints against Garth Brooks."
"The complaint filed today demonstrates that sexual predators exist not only in corporate America, Hollywood and in the rap and rock and roll industries but also in the world of country music," attorneys Douglas H. Wigdor, Jeanne M. Christensen and Hayley Baker said in the statement.
"We are confident that Brooks will be held accountable for his actions and his efforts to silence our client through the filing of a preemptive complaint in Mississippi was nothing other than an act of desperation and attempted intimidation. We encourage others who may have been victimized to contact us as no survivor should suffer in silence."
Roe's suit was filed under California's Sexual Abuse and Cover-Up Accountability Act, which allows sexual abuse claims to be revived that otherwise would be barred by the statute of limitations.
Garth Brooks denies accusations: 'I am not the man they have painted me to be'
In a statement obtained by USA TODAY Thursday evening, Brooks said he trusts "the system," adding, "I do not fear the truth, and I am not the man they have painted me to be."
"For the last two months, I have been hassled to no end with threats, lies, and tragic tales of what my future would be if I did not write a check for many millions of dollars. It has been like having a loaded gun waved in my face," Brooks continued.
"Hush money, no matter how much or how little, is still hush money. In my mind, that means I am admitting to behavior I am incapable of — ugly acts no human should ever do to another," Brooks continued while addressing the September suit. "We filed suit against this person nearly a month ago to speak out against extortion and defamation of character. We filed it anonymously for the sake of families on both sides."
Brooks concluded: "I want to play music tonight. I want to continue our good deeds going forward. It breaks my heart these wonderful things are in question now."
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Former employee of Garth Brooks alleges sexual abuse began in 2019
The 27-page lawsuit alleges that the unnamed celebrity makeup artist, Jane Roe, was first hired in 1999 as a hairstylist and makeup artist for Brooks' wife, Trisha Yearwood. In the suit, Roe claims she continued to work for Yearwood "over the years, as well as for many other celebrities."
In 2017, she started to do make-up and hair styling for Brooks. The alleged abuse began two years later.
According to the suit, Roe was at Brooks' house to style his hair and do his make-up when "she looked up in horror as Brooks walked out of the shower, naked, with an erection and pointing his penis at Ms. Roe." He then proceeded to grab her hands "and forced them onto his erect penis," the suit states.
"Brooks appallingly told Ms. Roe that he had fantasized about this moment and wanted her to perform oral sex on him so that he could 'come all over her face,' specifically while she had her 'glasses on,'" the lawsuit continues.
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Another instance in which Roe alleges Brooks sexually assaulted her was in May 2019 when she and the 14-time Grammy nominee traveled to Los Angeles to attend a Grammy tribute for R&B singer Sam Moore. Roe and Brooks were the sole passengers on his private jet, the suit claims, and Brooks booked a hotel suite with one bedroom without a separate room for the make-up artist.
Again, Brooks allegedly made sexual advances appearing "in the doorway to the bedroom, completely naked," reads the lawsuit. "Ms. Roe immediately had a sick feeling in her stomach, knowing she was trapped in the room alone with Brooks, with no one to help and far away from Nashville."
The suit reads that Roe felt "her worst fears came true" when the country singer was "towering over her" and "she could not escape his physical domination."
The lawsuit reads: "She was helpless to move from his grip and terrified at what was happening to her. While he held her upside down, dangling by her ankles -- all the blood rushed to her head, causing her to be dizzy and sick. While Brooks forcefully penetrated her, he said perverted things to Ms. Roe about his sexual prowess."
After the alleged rape, the lawsuit states Brooks had "cold disregard" for Roe as she continued to do his hair and makeup for the Grammy event.
Lawsuit: Garth Brooks sent 'sexually explicit text messages,' suggested threesome with wife Trisha Yearwood
Following the sexual assault in Los Angeles, the lawsuit alleges Brooks "increased the frequency" of expressing his sexual fantasies to Roe, "along with his physical gropings of her breasts while she was doing his hair and make-up."
The country singer's sexually charged conversations with Roe "included his repeated remarks about having a threesome with his wife, Ms. Yearwood, in which he suggested that Ms. Roe would be the third person."
According to the lawsuit, Roe believes Brooks' wife overheard those comments "on at least one occasion."
Following a 2020 incident, in which Brooks allegedly made explicitly sexual comments toward Roe in front of his manager and his wife, Roe sent a text to the singer.
The message read: "I can't work in an environment where explicit sexual comments are made about shampoo bottles doubling as dildos. I mean you no harm, and if you truly value my work, I am happy to show up tomorrow and/or whenever you may need my services."
By 2021, the suit says, Roe moved to Mississippi.
Although unnamed, the lawsuit states that "through her hard work, skill and dedication, Ms. Roe has performed the hair styling and make-up for celebrities appearing in countless publications such as Rolling Stone, Vanity Fair, In Style, Esquire and Nash Magazine."
Garth Brooks announces end of Vegas residency before lawsuit
After selling more than 150 million albums, filling stadiums for decades and earning highfalutin accolades such as the Gershwin Prize for Popular Song and Kennedy Center Honors, Brooks announced in September the final shows of his sold-out Garth Brooks/Plus One residency at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas.
"If there was a guy who said I'll do this the rest of my life, it would be me," Brooks said in an exclusive interview with USA TODAY last month. "I'm gonna miss it. The crowds are that great. I’ll put a Garth crowd around anyone, but bagging the phones (during shows) has made a huge difference because every show is a surprise to the fans. So it’s been fabulous. I hate to see the end of it."
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He added that his job for 2025, following his residency shows, "is to be the plus one."
"My wife is sweet enough to be there for me every time I need her," Brooks said. "I need to return that and we need to hear her more than two songs a night. I told her I’d front her. I’ll stay backstage and do whatever she needs."
Brooks is a two-time Grammy winner and has sold more than 162 million albums, making him the second best-selling artist of all time in the U.S.
Contributing: Melissa Ruggieri