Garth Brooks‘ lawyers have succeeded in making it a little harder for Jane Roe to get a guilty verdict in her sexual assault lawsuit against the singer.

This month, Brooks’ team has filed a series of motions that will feel procedural to a casual observer. The first was a request to move her civil lawsuit from California state court to federal court.

USA Today shares that the case was indeed assigned to a federal judge last Friday (Nov 8). Almost immediately, Brooks’ lawyers asked the judge to dismiss Jane Roe’s claims and ask her to refile in federal court in Mississippi, where he filed his preemptive lawsuit in September.

Jane Roe is not her real name. She is identified as Brooks and Trisha Yearwood‘s former hair and makeup artist.

• On Sept. 13, Brooks filed a preemptive lawsuit using “John Doe” and “Jane Doe.” He was trying to proceed with any subsequent lawsuits involving the two parties under pseudonyms.
• A lawsuit accusing him of sexual assault was filed in California on Oct. 3, using “Jane Roe” as plaintiff and the star’s real name, Garth Brooks, as defendant. The Mississippi claim had not yet been decided at that time.
• On Oct. 8, Brooks filed an amendment using his real name and hers, asking for a judge to dismiss his original filing.

His lawyers say it’s a matter of efficiency to have the two cases in the same court. Her lawyers say it’s an intimidation tactic.

Related: Garth Brooks Sexual Assault Allegations Timeline

Why This Matters

When Brooks’ motion to move to federal court first became news, lawyers noted that doing so increases the chance of a dismissal and/or expedites the trial. An attorney speaking with USA Today adds that federal courts pull potential jurors from a larger geographic area, which could mean a more Brooks-friendly rural jury.

The big win may have been getting the case moved from state to federal court, however. Per the legal info website Justia, civil cases in California only need three-fourths of a jury to agree to convict. A federal court case needs a unanimous decision.

Quietly, lawyers for the two parties met in Mississippi last month. On Oct. 18 they made their cases with regards to Brooks’ lawsuit and updates. The judge didn’t issue a decision at that time.