Garth Brooks denies accusations of sexual assault following lawsuit from former employee

nme.com:

Garth Brooks has spoken out about the accusations of sexual assault by a former employee, denying any wrongdoing.It comes as a female using the pseudonym Jane Roe in court filed a lawsuit against the country music star, accusing him of sexual assault and battery.Roe’s allegations claimed that Brooks raped her in a hotel room in 2019, and would grope her and make sexually explicit comments when she worked as his hairstylist and make-up artist between 2017 and 2020.The filing in the Los Angeles Court also saw Roe claim that she contemplated taking her own life after the instances of sexual assault became “so unbearable”.Now, the two-time Grammy winner has spoken out about the allegations raised against him, and branded the lawsuit as an attempt at extortion for “millions of dollars”.“For the last two months, I have been hassled to no end with threats, lies, and tragic tales of what my future would be if I did not write a check for many millions of dollars,” he said in a new statement (via Independent). “It has been like having a loaded gun waved in my face.”He continued: “Hush money, no matter how much or how little, is still hush money.

In my mind, that means I am admitting to behaviour I am incapable of – ugly acts no human should ever do to another.”According to the lawsuit, Roe says she felt forced to continue working for Brooks due to her financial situation.

She also claims that the musician knew about the monetary hardship she was facing and would allegedly exploit her due to it.Lawyers from Wigdor LLP shared a statement with PA (via LBC), speaking on behalf of the woman, saying: “We applaud our client’s courage in moving forward with her complaint against Garth Brooks.