Garth Brooks named his accuser in an amended complaint filed in Mississippi federal court on Tuesday (Oct. 8).
As a result, his accuser’s legal team is seeking “maximum sanctions against him immediately.”
- A make up artist identified as “Jane Roe” is accusing Brooks of sexual assault and battery in a complaint filed in California on Oct. 3.
- On Sept. 13, Brooks preemptively filed to proceed with all filings under pseudonyms “John Doe” and “Jane Doe.” His complaint was filed in Mississippi.
- He’s since labeled the accusations a “malicious scheme” stemming from being denied a salary and medical benefits.
Related: Garth Brooks Sexual Assault Accusations Fact Sheet
Taste of Country is not going to publish the real name of Brooks’ accuser at this time. Her lawyer responded to Brooks doing so with a sharply worded attack of character.
“Out of spite and to punish, he publicly named a rape victim,” Douglas Wigdor says.
“With no legal justification, Brooks outed her because he thinks the laws don’t apply to him.”
Why Did Garth Brooks Name His Accuser?
Essentially, Brooks named his accuser because she named him, and because he says she’s willing to proceed using her real name.
CNN first caught wind of a high-profile celebrity facing charges of sexual assault and later identified the celeb as Brooks. Almost immediately, news outlets like Taste of Country acquired Jane Roe’s lawsuit, which uses his name (as well as wife Trisha Yearwood‘s name, although she’s not being accused of anything) throughout.
From the amended complaint in Mississippi:
Rather than allow this Court to consider and adjudicate Plaintiff’s request, Roe wrested the decision from the Court. While Plaintiff’s Motion to proceed under a pseudonym was pending, and before it was even fully briefed, Roe’s counsel, Douglas Wigdor, revealed to CNN that Plaintiff was world-famous musician and humanitarian Garth Brooks.
Further, Brooks says CNN’s quote from Roe’s lawyer’s came before Roe’s complaint was on file. They also say that — on Oct. 1 — Roe’s team respected the court’s right to rule on Brooks’ Sept. 13 filing and “will wait until later this week to make sure there is no objection from this Honorable Court before filing her California action in this manner.”
USA Today adds that in an Oct. 1 filing that opposed Brooks’ motion to use pseudonyms, Roe’s attorneys said that “she is willing to proceed using her name here if this Court believes that is necessary in denying Plaintiff’s motion.”
What’s Next for Garth Brooks?
Deadline says Roe’s team is seeking “maximum sanctions” to start on Wednesday, Oct. 9. While Brooks has acknowledged the case publicly and conceded he’s at the start of a lengthy legal battle, he hast not formally responded to Roe’s complaint in California.
Both parties are now seeking damages and a jury trial.
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