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Garth Brooks is attempting to change course in the sexual assault case against him.
Last month, an anonymous woman referred to as "Jane Roe" filed a lawsuit in a state court in California against Brooks, 62, accusing him of sexual assault and battery, which she alleges took place in 2019. The individual claims she started as a hairstylist and makeup artist in 1999 for Brooks' wife, fellow country singer Trisha Yearwood, before being hired by Brooks in 2017.
Entertainment Tonight reported that Brooks' lawyers motioned to move his case from the Superior Court in California to federal court. Legal expert Tre Lovell explained to the outlet that the case is eligible to be transferred to federal court since the singer-songwriter is from Tennessee, the plaintiff hails from Mississippi, and the amount she's suing for exceeds $75,000.
Lovell broke down the advantages of moving the case to federal court for the "Friends in Low Places" singer. "It's probably easier to seal filings. Usually, you get a quicker trial date. Judges are more amenable to dismissing a case. Los Angeles tends to be more of a minority blue-collar jury pool; in federal court, you have a broader jury poll, and a broader jury poll, I think, would help Garth as well in this case," Lovell stated.
The individual's lawsuit accuses Brooks of raping her in a Los Angles hotel room for a work trip. In another instance, the individual says she was at Brooks' house for work, and he walked out of the shower naked subsequently coercing her into touching him. The individual also alleged that the Oklahoma native made "repeated" remarks about his desire to have a threesome with Yearwood.
The individual has also recently released text messages between her and her former employer. According to court documents obtained by Us Weekly, the country superstar might have "used more than one cell phone, and sometimes would use different 'names' and email addresses to communicate with Ms. Roe. He would tell Ms. Roe ahead of time that it would be him sending her communications, under a different name."
The two-time Grammy Award winner has vehemently denied the allegations against him, claiming the lawsuit is a way for the individual to extort him for money. In an October statement to Newsweek, 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."
Brooks has been married to Yearwood, 60, since 2005. He has three daughters from his previous marriage to Sandy Mahl: Taylor, 32, Augusta, 30, and Allie, 28.
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