Country music star Garth Brooks accused of raping makeup artist
Are you or someone you know a recent survivor of sexual assault? Help is available. Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN) provides a 24/7 national sexual assault hotline, which can be reached at 1-800-656-4673.
LOS ANGELES – Country star Garth Brooks is accused of raping a makeup artist.
In a statement released by the alleged victim's lawyer, Brooks is accused of "inappropriate behavior" in 2019 when the victim was at the country singer's home on a styling appointment. She has opted to keep her name anonymous and was identified in the lawsuit as "Jane Roe."
According to the lawsuit filed in Los Angeles County on October 3, Brooks was named the suspect in the alleged "painful and traumatic rape and sexual assault" of Roe in the 2019 incident.
WASHINGTON, DC - MARCH 20: Garth Brooks performs during the 2024 Gershwin Prize for Popular Song presentation to Elton John and Bernie Taupin by the Library of Congress at DAR Constitution Hall on March 20, 2024 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Taylor Hi
Brooks strongly denied the allegations in a statement, and noted that he had filed an earlier federal lawsuit last month in an attempt to prevent the woman from pursuing legal action, calling her allegations "untrue" and claiming the woman was trying to force him to give her money.
Brooks's publicist released a statement saying the singer is a victim of "threats, lies, and tragic tales."
Below is a statement released on Brooks' behalf:
"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.
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 do to another.
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.
"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. I trust the system, I do not fear the truth, and I am not the man they have painted me to be."
Roe's legal team issued the following statement regarding the alleged rape case against Brooks:
"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. 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."
In her lawsuit, the anonymous plaintiff claims she initially began working as a makeup and hair stylist for country artist Trisha Yearwood in 1999. Yearwood married Brooks in 2005, and the plaintiff began working for Brooks in 2017, according to the suit.
The lawsuit contends that Brooks, aware that the woman was having financial difficulties, hired her more often to increase her pay, but "it did not take long for Brooks to take advantage of her financial hardship."
The woman contends that she was at Brooks house in 2019 when Brooks walked up to her naked and put her hands on his genitals, saying "he had fantasized about this moment."
She also claims that in May of that year, she traveled with Brooks to Los Angeles, where he was performing a Grammy tribute to Sam Moore. On that trip, Brooks only booked one hotel suite for the two of them, with only one bedroom, according to the suit.
Once they were in the hotel suite, Brooks again approached her naked, and this time pulled her onto the bed and raped her, the lawsuit alleges.
Douglas H. Wigdor, a founding partner of Wigdor LLP, released the following statement, "I cannot get into settlement discussions, but the suggestion made by Brooks that he was unwilling to pay millions is simply not true. It seems as though Sean Combs and Garth Brooks are using the same public relations team by attacking legitimate victims. We are very confident in our case and over time the public will see his true character rather than his highly curated persona."
Below is a copy of the lawsuit against Brooks: