A woman who claims she worked as a hair-and-makeup stylist for Garth Brooks has alleged in a lawsuit filed Thursday that he raped her in a Los Angeles hotel in 2019.
The woman, identified as Jane Roe in the lawsuit filed in Los Angeles Superior Court, claims she had worked for Brooks’ wife, country singer Trisha Yearwood, since 1999 and began working for Brooks in 2017. Brooks has forcefully denied the allegations, acknowledging he attempted to prevent the lawsuit from being filed.
According to the lawsuit, the alleged assault occurred in October 2019 when the woman traveled from Nashville to Los Angeles with Brooks, who was performing with soul singer Sam Moore at a Grammy Awards tribute to Moore. The lawsuit states they were alone on his private jet and that he booked a single hotel suite for both of them. In the suite, she alleges Brooks appeared naked in the doorway to the bedroom and raped her. The suit says that afterward, he acted as if nothing had happened and expected her to immediately do his hair and makeup.
The woman also alleges that earlier in 2019, Brooks had appeared naked in front of her at his home, grabbed her hands, and placed them on his genitals. In addition to the alleged 2019 incidents, she claims Brooks exposed himself to her multiple times, discussed sexual fantasies with her, and sent explicit text messages. The woman states she felt compelled to continue working for Brooks due to financial hardship, which she alleges he exploited.
Last month, Brooks filed a preemptive lawsuit in federal court in Mississippi under the pseudonym John Doe, declaring the allegations were “wholly untrue.” He claims he first learned of the accusations in July when she allegedly threatened to publicly sue him unless he paid her millions of dollars. Brooks asked the court to prevent her from causing intentional infliction of emotional distress, defamation, and invasion of privacy. In his statement, Brooks said, “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.” He also mentioned that he filed his case anonymously for the sake of families on both sides and expressed his trust in the legal system, stating, “I do not fear the truth, and I am not the man they have painted me to be.”
An email to the woman’s attorney seeking to confirm whether she had reported her allegations to the police remained unanswered. There has been no immediate response from Trisha Yearwood’s representative regarding the lawsuit.
The 62-year-old Brooks, born in Oklahoma, was a dominant figure in country music during the 1990s, known for his hits such as “Friends in Low Places” and “The Thunder Rolls.” He revolutionized the genre with his arena-rock theatrics and crossover appeal. Brooks married fellow country star Trisha Yearwood in 2005.