Garth Brooks Sued by Former Makeup Artist Alleging Rape, Sexual Assault
Brooks previously denied the claims in a complaint filed under "John Doe" with the intention of blocking her allegations from going public, per the complaint
A hairstylist and makeup artist who worked for Garth Brooks has filed a lawsuit against the country icon, accusing him of sexual assault and battery.
The plaintiff filed the complaint as "Jane Roe" in California state court on Oct. 3, according to documents obtained by PEOPLE. Brooks previously denied the claims in a complaint filed under "John Doe" with the intention of blocking her allegations from going public, per the complaint.
In the complaint, Roe alleges Brooks, 62, raped her, exposed his genitals and buttocks, spoke openly about sex and related fantasies, changed clothes in her presence and sent sexually explicit text messages, with each incident taking place throughout 2019.
A rep and lawyer for Brooks have not responded to PEOPLE's request for comment.
Roe claims she began working for Brooks' wife, Trisha Yearwood, in 1999 and was later hired to do makeup and hair for the "Friends in Low Places" singer in 2017, per the documents; two years later, Roe alleges, he became aware of Roe's "financial difficulties" in 2019 and began hiring her more often.
Soon, according to the complaint, "Brooks seized what he saw as an opportunity to subject a female employee to a side of Brooks that he conceals from the public. This side of Brooks believes he is entitled to sexual gratification when he wants it, and using a female employee to get it, is fair game."
On one occasion in 2019, per the documents, Roe was prepared to do Brooks' hair and makeup when he allegedly exited the shower "naked, with an erection," placed Roe's hands on his penis and expressed the desire for her to "perform oral sex on him." She claims to not have engaged but stayed to complete her work.
Prior to the May 2019 taping of a Grammys tribute to Sam Moore, where Brooks performed, Roe's complaint alleges she and the "Callin' Baton Rouge" performer traveled alone to Los Angeles on his private jet, where "usually there were others."
Then, Roe claims, she was surprised to find out Brooks booked a one-bedroom hotel suite for the both of them. Later, Brooks allegedly exposed his "completely naked" body to her in the hotel room while flexing his muscles.
Roe alleges Brooks raped her in the hotel suite, and she "could not escape his physical domination" due to the stark differences in their sizes. The experience, according to the documents, "was painful and traumatic."
"With cold disregard for Ms. Roe, when Brooks was finished, it was business as usual. Ms. Roe worked quickly to style his hair and do his make-up for the event so he was on time," her legal team writes, also noting that she experienced neck and back pain afterwards.
Following the alleged sexual assault, per the complaint, "Brooks increased the frequency of saying his sexual fantasies about her aloud, along with his physical gropings of her breasts while she was doing his hair and makeup."
Roe also alleges Brooks claimed to have previously had sex with various women of multiple races in hotel rooms. He also asked her to have "a threesome" with Yearwood, states the documents, and Roe believes the "She's in Love with the Boy" musician overheard his remarks at least once.
On another occasion in October 2019, per the complaint, Roe claims Brooks once again attempted to rape her but had to leave for another engagement.
Roe claims Yearwood, 60, was present for a May 2020 conversation where Brooks made comments about "inventing a shampoo bottle that would double as a dildo," after which Roe texted him to express her discomfort.
The same year, Roe claims to have felt upset after learning Brooks told Yearwood she'd seen his penis and sent him a text message, to which he said she was "overthinking" the scenario.
A rep for Yearwood has not responded to PEOPLE's request for comment.
She then tried to get Brooks to agree for them to no longer engage in any sexual contact in order to keep working together, per the documents. Brooks allegedly said they should "just hope that nobody ever finds out and just love one another and be friends."
Roe alleges they had conversations about whether or not they'd continue working together, but Brooks insisted they "work together forever."
During a 2020 work occasion, per the documents, Brooks allegedly took Roe's phone and "deleted most of the text messages that he had sent to her containing explicit sexual content."
According to the complaint, Roe stopped working for Brooks and moved to Mississippi around May 2021.
More recently, Roe's complaint alleges, Brooks' legal team found out about her plans to file a complaint so he filed a preemptive complaint first as "John Doe" on Sept. 13 with claims that Roe "was a lying extortionist who intended on destroying his professional reputation."
Per the John Doe complaint, "[Roe's] allegations are not true. [Roe] is well aware, however, of the substantial, irreparable damage such false allegations would do to Plaintiff’s well-earned reputation as a decent and caring person, along with the unavoidable damage to his family and the irreparable damage to his career and livelihood that would result if she made good on her threat to 'publicly file' her fabricated lawsuit. Indeed, such knowledge no doubt explains why [Roe] threatened to file suit through a 'confidential' demand letter rather than simply filing suit to redress her alleged (but untrue) injuries."
If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, please contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or go to rainn.org.
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Read the original article on People.