Garth Brooks has publicly named his rape accuser in a countersuit, demanding she pay him damages for emotional distress and defamation.
In papers filed Tuesday, lawyers for Brooks' alleged victim condemn the country megastar for revealing her name, as she had filed papers anonymously as a "Jane Roe" when she accused him of raping her. The accuser had previously worked as a hair and makeup artist for Brooks and his wife, fellow country singer Trisha Yearwood.
Brooks actually sued Roe first last month in Mississippi federal court under the name John Doe. He opted to sue Roe for extortion and defamation because she had allegedly threatened him back in July, vowing to publicly sue him if he didn’t pay her millions of dollars.
Brooks' "John Doe vs. Jane Roe" suit simply refers to him as "a celebrity and public figure who resides in Tennessee." Roe lives in Mississippi, which is why he filed suit there.
Roe's initial threats didn’t come to Brooks in a lawsuit. Instead, they were made in the form of a “confidential” letter written by Roe’s attorney dated July 17, 2024. Brooks said the letter was the first time he learned of the allegations against him, which included accusations of sexual “grooming,” creating a sexually hostile work environment, unwanted sexual touching and sexual assault.
Roe also noted that she believed Brooks was going to hire someone to kill her.
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Roe sent a follow-up letter through her attorney dated August 23, 2024, stating that she would refrain from publicly suing Brooks in exchange for a multi-million dollar payout.
Brooks responded to that follow-up letter with his lawsuit, and Roe responded by filing her own suit against Brooks, accusing him of raping her in a Los Angeles hotel room in October 2019. According to the lawsuit, Brooks had booked a single hotel suite for them to share. She said he appeared naked in a doorway of the suite, raped her and then went on with business as usual, expecting her to provide hair and makeup services.
Roe’s suit also alleges that Brooks appeared naked in front of her earlier that year, grabbed her hands and placed them on his genitals. She claims Brooks exposed himself to her multiple times, spoke about sexual fantasies and sent her explicit text messages. Those texts have been entered into evidence as well.
Brooks has vehemently denied the accusations against him. According to Brooks’ latest filings, Roe worked for him as an independent contractor out of Tennessee for about 15 years before relocating to Mississippi.
Soon after moving to Mississippi in 2020, Brooks alleges she asked him for financial assistance, and he helped her out of loyalty and friendship. However, he says her demands increased, and she eventually wanted a salary with medical benefits. According to Brooks, she only made those “outrageous” accusations of sexual misconduct after he turned down her salary request.
Scripps News and Court TV are not naming Roe because we do not name individuals who claim to be victims of sexual assault unless they reveal themselves publicly.
This story was originally published by Katie McLaughlin at Court TV.
