Garth Brooks is denying sexual assault allegations against him as claimed in a bombshell lawsuit.
A “Jane Roe” filed the complaint against the country superstar on Thursday, claiming she started as a hairstylist and makeup artist for his wife, Trisha Yearwood in 1999 and was then hired by Brooks for the same role in 2017.
The lawsuit accuses Brooks, 62, of instances of sexual battery, as well as violently raping her in a Los Angeles hotel room in May 2019.
In a statement to Newsweek late Thursday, Brooks wrote, “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. It has been like having a loaded gun waved in my face.”
“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,” Brooks said.
Garth Brooks performs at the 2024 Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song on March 20, 2024 at DAR Constitution Hall in Washington, DC.
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He continued, “We filed suit against this person nearly a month ago to speak out against extortion and defamation of character. We filed it anonymously for the sake of families on both sides.
“I want to play music tonight. I want to continue our good deeds going forward. It breaks my heart these wonderful things are in question now. I trust the system, I do not fear the truth, and I am not the man they have painted me to be.”
Brooks is currently in the middle of his Garth Brooks/Plus ONE residency at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas.
After news of the lawsuit broke, Brooks shared a photo of his Thursday night concert, writing “If there was ever a night that I really needed this, TONIGHT was that night! Thank you for my life!!!!! love, g” he captioned the post in the early hours of Friday morning.
Brooks has several upcoming shows in 2024 and 2025 for his residency. There have been no reports that he plans to pause the residency amid news of the lawsuit.
Yearwood has yet to address Roe’s allegations.
Brooks and Yearwood are considered one of country music’s most beloved couples. They married in 2005, and while they don’t have any kids of their own, Yearwood is a stepmom to his three daughters from a previous marriage.
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