Garth Brooks names rape accuser, says she’s blackmailing him for millions

In a recent legal filing, country singer Garth Brooks has publicly identified a former employee who sued him for rape in a civil lawsuit last week.

Brooks, 62, informed the U.S. District Court in Mississippi on Tuesday that the woman’s accusations are part of an “ongoing attempted extortion” aimed at defaming him and causing emotional distress. He stated that he is “the victim of a shakedown.”

The woman, previously referred to as “Jane Roe” in legal documents, claims that Brooks raped her in a Los Angeles hotel room in 2019. Her lawyers told the Los Angeles Times that Brooks disclosed her identity “with no legal justification because he thinks the laws don’t apply to him.”

“Garth Brooks just revealed his true self,” remarked lawyers Douglas H. Wigdor, Jeanne M. Christensen, and Hayley Baker.

Jane Roe testified in court that she worked as a makeup and hair stylist for Brooks and his wife, Trisha Yearwood, from 1999 to 2021. Throughout her two years of employment, she alleges that Brooks repeatedly exposed his genitals to her, groped her, and sent her sexually explicit text messages. Roe stated she felt compelled to continue working for Brooks due to financial difficulties, which he was aware of.

Global News generally does not disclose the identities of sexual assault accusers unless they have publicly identified themselves first.

Before filing the civil lawsuit against Brooks in a California superior court, the “Friends in Low Places” singer had sued her for alleged extortion. His lawsuit was filed anonymously in Mississippi, referring to him as “John Doe” and describing him as “a celebrity and public figure who resides in Tennessee.”

Brooks claimed in court that he has been falsely accused of sexual assault by Jane Roe, who allegedly threatened legal action unless she received “a multimillion-dollar payment.” He requested that the lawsuit remain anonymous to protect his “well-earned good reputation.”

In response, the woman’s lawyers informed the court of their intention to proceed with a lawsuit in California.

“Ms. Roe respectfully requests that she may commence her California action as she intended to do, and use Mr. Doe’s name, absent objection from this Honorable Court,” their legal response stated.

The California lawsuit identified Brooks but not Jane Roe.

The woman’s lawyers indicated that they would “be moving for maximum sanctions” against Brooks for revealing her name.

Brooks is seeking compensatory and punitive damages, along with a court injunction to prevent his accuser from “further publicizing her false allegations.” He has requested a jury trial.

Brooks’ legal team defended the decision to name the woman in the amended complaint, stating that her legal representatives “wrested the decision” to identify Brooks from the court when they briefed CNN about the lawsuit, despite Brooks’ motion to continue using pseudonyms being still pending.

In a statement released last week amidst extensive media coverage of the allegations against him, Brooks expressed that he did not want to provide anyone with “hush money.”

“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 ever do to another,” he stated. “I trust the system, I do not fear the truth, and I am not the man they have painted me to be.”