Attorneys for Woman Accusing Garth Brooks of Rape Blast Him for Revealing Her Name ‘Out of Spite’

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The legal battle involving country superstar Garth Brooks and a hair and makeup artist who previously worked for him took an ugly turn this week after the woman’s identity was revealed in court filings from Brooks’ legal team.

Last week, Brooks was accused of sexual assault and battery by his former employee in a lawsuit she filed in Los Angeles Superior Court. The accuser did not reveal her identity and was referred to in court documents filed by her attorneys as “Jane Roe.” However, Brooks revealed her name in a countersuit he filed against her on Tuesday in Mississippi federal court.

The litigation began in September with a lawsuit that initially had both parties listed anonymously — a “John Doe” v. “Jane Roe” lawsuit filed in federal court in Mississippi, reported The New York Times. Brooks, the “John Doe” of that lawsuit, was identified only as “a celebrity and public figure who resides in Tennessee.” He alleged that attorneys for a woman falsely accusing him of sexual assault threatened to sue him unless he gave her “a multimillion dollar payment,” and asked the court to keep the parties’ identities anonymous and issue a declaration that the accuser’s claims were false.

The woman’s attorneys responded to the “John Doe” lawsuit by declaring their intention to sue him 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.” No such objection came from the Mississippi court, and she filed her separate lawsuit in L.A.

Her lawsuit kept her identity as “Jane Roe” but did name Brooks, setting off a flurry of headlines expressing shock to see such allegations against a country singer with a longstanding positive public image.

In the lawsuit, “Roe” describes how she started working with Brooks’ wife, fellow country star Trisha Yearwood, in 1999 and then began working for Brooks as well in 2017. She alleges that Brooks sexually assaulted her in 2019, including harrowing details: “Brooks’ rape of Ms. Roe was painful and traumatic. Having no regard for her well-being and intent on his own sexual gratification at the expense of Ms. Roe’s physical, mental and emotional trauma, at some point during the nightmare, Brooks even held her small body upside down by her feet and penetrated her.”

In addition to the alleged rape, the accuser claimed in the complaint that during that same year Brooks allegedly revealed his genitals to her and forced her to touch him, shared his sexual fantasies with her, sent her sexually explicit text messages, and “pressured” her to sext with him.

The legal counsel for “Roe” issued a statement on Tuesday in response to Brooks disclosing her identity.

“Garth Brooks just revealed his true self. Out of spite and to punish, he publicly named a rape victim. With no legal justification, Brooks outed her because he thinks the laws don’t apply to him. On behalf of our client, we will be moving for maximum sanctions against him immediately,” the statement read on behalf of Roe’s attorneys, Douglas H. Wigdor (Founding Partner Wigdor LLP), Jeanne M. Christensen (Partner Wigdor LLP), and Hayley Baker (HB Advocates PLLC).

Brooks has previously vehemently denied the rape allegations against him, claiming he is a “victim of a shakedown” in an attempt to secure “millions of dollars” from him.

Mediaite obtained and reviewed Brooks’ countersuit, and has learned the identity of Brooks’ accuser. However, we will not publish the name of the accuser unless she chooses to reveal herself.

“[T]his lawsuit to obtain relief from [Defendant’s] ongoing attempted extortion, defamation, false light invasion of privacy, and intentional infliction of emotional distress through outrageous conduct including the publication and threatened wider publication of false allegations of sexual misconduct that would irreparably harm Plaintiff’s reputation, family, career and livelihood,” stated Brooks’ counterclaim.

Brooks’ attorney declined to comment for this story.

While this specific litigation is a civil matter, the anonymity afforded to sexual assault victims stems is connected to the protections granted in criminal courts.

“Sexual assault is already an underreported crime, and that will be made worse if they are outed and opened up to harassment, blame and questioning,” Palm Beach (Florida) State Attorney Dave Aronberg told Mediaite. “We want to encourage victims to speak up, and not risk further stigmatizing them.”

Arick Fudali, a partner at The Bloom Firm, which currently represents a Sean Combs accuser, further explained the rationale behind courts allowing sexual assault victims to protect their identities even in civil cases.

“While I can’t comment on the specifics or circumstances of this case, I can say generally that in my experience, there is a reason the courts often allow sexual assault victims to use pseudonyms when they file lawsuits,” said Fudali. “This is because the courts recognize the unfortunate reality that revealing a sexual assault victim’s identity, especially when the accused is someone famous, can and often does cause further trauma, public ridicule, shame, and embarrassment, resulting in a re-victimization of the victim. I have seen this damage first-hand in representing many victims of sexual assault against high-profile individuals.”