Garth Brooks Sued By Former Makeup Artist For Alleged Sexual Assault

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A makeup artist identified as Jane Roe in a lawsuit has sued country music superstar Garth Brooks. In the lawsuit, Jane Roe alleged that Brooks raped her in a hotel room and made her a subject of continuous unwanted sexual conduct. Roe claimed that the trauma from the sexual assault was so severe that she contemplated suicide.

As Variety reports, Jane Roe is represented by Douglas Wigdor, who filed #MeToo lawsuits against Harvey Weinstein as well as other influential individuals. She filed the lawsuit in the Los Angeles state court under the Sexual Abuse and Cover-Up Accountability Act on Thursday (3 October), which notably allows sexual abuse claims to be heard as the statute of limitations applies in other counties.

The woman claims that she began working as a makeup artist and hair stylist for Trisha Yearwood, Brooks’ wife and fellow country artist, in 1999. She also began working for Brooks in 2017 and ramped up the work for him in 2019 due to financial difficulties, the lawsuit states.

Jane Roe laid out a claim of sexual misconduct happening at Brooks’ home. She alleged that he exited the shower naked with an erection and forced her to touch his penis, and asked her to perform oral sex. She refused but continued to work for him despite the alleged incident.

She alleged that she and Brooks travelled to Los Angeles for a Grammy tribute in a private jet (with just the two of them onboard), and Brooks booked a hotel room for the pair. Jane Roe accused Brooks of raping her in the hotel room.

Following the alleged sexual assault, Jane Roe claimed that Brooks discussed sexual fantasies with her (and, in one instance, discussed them with his wife while Jane Roe was present), sent her crude text messages, and stared at her breasts. Jane Roe alleged that Brooks would grope her breasts and then masturbate.

The New York Times reports that Brooks filed a pre-emptive lawsuit against Jane Roe three weeks ago in Mississippi, claiming that she was making “false and outrageous allegations of sexual misconduct she claims occurred years ago.”

Wigdor and his co-counsels, Jeanna Christensen and Hayley Baker, applauded Jane Roe for coming forward with her complaint against the country music star.

Their statement said, “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 pre-emptive complaint in Mississippi was nothing other than an act of desperation and attempted intimidation.”

At the time of publication, Garth Brooks hasn’t made a public statement about the allegations.