Garth Brooks has filed a lawsuit against the person accusing him of sexual assault, claiming that she has intentionally created “emotional distress”.
The filing comes after a female using the pseudonym Jane Roe in court filed a lawsuit against the country music star, accusing him of sexual assault and battery.
Her allegations claimed that Brooks raped her in a hotel room in 2019, and would grope her and make sexually explicit comments when she worked as his hairstylist and make-up artist between 2017 and 2020.
The filing in the Los Angeles Court also saw Roe claim that she contemplated taking her own life after the instances of sexual assault became “so unbearable”.
The two-time Grammy winner denied all allegations raised against him and said he was innocent of any claims of wrongdoing. He also branded the lawsuit as an attempt at extortion for “millions of dollars”, and added that the “threats, lies, and tragic tales of what my future would be if I did not write a check for many millions of dollars” felt like “having a loaded gun waved in my face” (via Independent).
Now, reports have emerged that Brooks filed a countersuit with the District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi Northern Division on Tuesday (October 8).
Garth Brooks speaks onstage in 2023. CREDIT: Theo Wargo/Getty Images
Various outlets including Page Six, The Independent and The New York Times have also reported that the singer has named his accuser in the papers, after attempting to keep both their identities private in an earlier court filing.
With his lawsuit, Brooks is reportedly seeking compensation for the damages caused by the defendant’s “intentional infliction of emotional distress, defamation, and false light invasion of privacy, including incidental and consequential damages”. He is also seeking “punitive damages in an amount sufficient to deter similar future behaviour”.
However, the musician also said the monetary damages “cannot adequately compensate” for the injuries to his reputation. Page Six reported the documents as reading: “Defendant will suffer no hardship from an injunction of her wrongful conduct, while Plaintiff will suffer irreparable harm if no injunction is issued.”
According to the lawsuit by the defendant last week, Roe claims she felt forced to continue working for Brooks due to her financial situation. She also alleges that the musician knew about the monetary hardship she was facing and would allegedly exploit her due to it.
Before then, Brooks filed an anonymous lawsuit in Mississippi last month. In it, he requested that a judge stop “false allegations of sexual misconduct” being published as it would “irreparably harm (his) reputation, family, career and livelihood”.
In response to the filing by Roe, Lawyers from Wigdor LLP shared a statement with PA (via LBC), speaking on behalf of the woman, saying: “We applaud our client’s courage in moving forward with her complaint 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.”
Garth Brooks performs during the 2024 Gershwin Prize. CREDIT: Taylor Hill/WireImage/Getty
They continued: “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 victimised to contact us as no survivor should suffer in silence.”
Also speaking to PA, the singer-songwriter shared a statement about the allegations from the former employee. “I want to play music tonight. I want to continue our good deeds going forward. It breaks my heart [that] these wonderful things are in question now,” he said.
“I trust the system, I do not fear the truth, and I am not the man they have painted me to be.”
For more help, advice or more information regarding sexual harassment, assault and rape in the UK, visit the Rape Crisis charity website. In the US, visit RAINN.
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