The Garth Brooks lawsuit is a sexual assault case brought in October 2024 by a former hair and makeup artist who worked for Brooks and his wife, Trisha Yearwood. She alleges Brooks raped her in a Los Angeles hotel room in May 2019 and repeatedly groped her during work that year. Brooks denies every allegation, calls the suit an extortion attempt, and filed his own lawsuit in Mississippi weeks before she went public. As of mid-2026, no trial date has been set and no settlement announced.
Who Is the Accuser and What She Alleges
The accuser is identified in court filings as “Jane Roe,” a professional makeup artist and hairstylist who began working for Trisha Yearwood in 1999 and started providing hair and makeup services directly to Brooks in 2017.1CNN. Garth Brooks Accused of Sexual Assault How long she worked for Brooks is disputed. Her complaint says about four years; Brooks says she was an independent contractor for roughly fifteen.2Courthouse News Service. Garth Brooks Accused of Rape in Lawsuit by Former Hair Stylist
Her lawsuit, filed October 3, 2024, in Los Angeles Superior Court, alleges that Brooks forcefully raped her in a Los Angeles hotel room in May 2019. She also alleges that throughout 2019 Brooks repeatedly groped her and made sexually explicit comments while she performed professional services for him, and that in 2020 he accessed her phone without permission and deleted explicit text messages.3The Guardian. Garth Brooks Sexual Assault Lawsuit The complaint pleads assault, battery, sexual battery under California Civil Code § 1708.5, and claims under California’s Bane Act, Ralph Act, and gender violence statute.4Deadline. Jane Roe v. Garth Brooks Complaint, Los Angeles Superior Court
Brooks’s Denial and His Mississippi Countersuit
Brooks has denied every allegation. “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 after the California complaint became public. “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.” He added, “I trust the system, I do not fear the truth, and I am not the man they have painted me to be.”5NPR. Garth Brooks Sexual Assault Accusation Lawsuit
Three weeks before Roe filed in California, Brooks sued her first. On September 13, 2024, he filed a federal complaint in the Southern District of Mississippi using pseudonyms for both parties, captioned Doe v. Roe, case number 3:24-cv-00547.6Deadline. Garth Brooks Federal Rape Case, California Dismissal Motion He pursued claims for defamation, intentional infliction of emotional distress, and false light invasion of privacy, framing the accuser’s conduct as “ongoing attempted extortion, defamation” and “false allegations of sexual misconduct.”7ABC News. Garth Brooks Files Lawsuit in Response to Rape, Sexual Assault Allegations After Roe named him publicly in October, Brooks filed an amended complaint on October 8, 2024, identifying her by name. Her attorneys said they would seek “maximum sanctions” against him for disclosing her identity.8The Independent. Garth Brooks BST 2026 Tickets and Rape Allegation
The Demand Letters at the Center of the Extortion Claim
Brooks’s filings trace the dispute to a July 17, 2024, demand letter from the accuser’s attorneys alleging sexual misconduct and threatening a public lawsuit unless he paid “millions of dollars.” A follow-up letter on August 23 reportedly offered to keep the matter private in exchange for a “multi-million dollar payout” and referenced his net worth as a basis for the figure.9People. Garth Brooks Alleges Rape Accuser Attempting Extortion Brooks alleged Roe had earlier sought salaried employment and medical benefits from him, and that the misconduct claims followed after he declined. Roe’s attorneys countered that Brooks “disingenuously” suggested a settlement was possible to delay her from filing in California.10WLBT. Judge Declares Motion to Dismiss Garth Brooks Mississippi Lawsuit Moot
Where the Cases Stand Now
The litigation is running in parallel in federal courts in Mississippi and California, each side pushing to have the dispute decided in a favorable forum.
In Mississippi, Brooks amended his complaint on November 1, 2024, to seek only damages, and the proceedings were sealed by court order, limiting public access to most filings.6Deadline. Garth Brooks Federal Rape Case, California Dismissal Motion Roe filed a motion to dismiss in November 2024. On May 1, 2025, U.S. District Judge Henry T. Wingate declared that motion “moot” without elaborating in a written order.11Clarion Ledger. Judge Rules After Woman Accusing Garth Brooks of Rape Wants Mississippi Lawsuit Dropped Roe then filed an amended request to dismiss and change venue. As of July 2026, that amended motion was still pending and the Mississippi case active.12Clarion Ledger. Court Records: Garth Brooks Mississippi Lawsuit Against Woman Accusing Rape
In California, Roe’s complaint was moved from state court to the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California in November 2024.11Clarion Ledger. Judge Rules After Woman Accusing Garth Brooks of Rape Wants Mississippi Lawsuit Dropped Brooks moved to dismiss, arguing her claims were compulsory counterclaims that belonged in Mississippi because they arose from the same facts.6Deadline. Garth Brooks Federal Rape Case, California Dismissal Motion U.S. District Judge Michael W. Fitzgerald denied the motion in December 2024 but stayed the California case pending developments in Mississippi.13Fox 19. Judge Denies Garth Brooks Request to Dismiss Sexual Assault Lawsuit As of mid-2026, the California case remained on hold, with no updates recorded in the online court record since December 2025.12Clarion Ledger. Court Records: Garth Brooks Mississippi Lawsuit Against Woman Accusing Rape
How the Lawsuit Has Affected Brooks’s Career and Marriage
The litigation has not visibly derailed Brooks’s professional life. His Nashville venue, Friends in Low Places Bar and Honky-Tonk, celebrated its first anniversary in March 2025 and continues to operate.14Garth Brooks Official Website. Friends in Low Places Bar and Honky-Tonk to Celebrate First Anniversary He is scheduled to headline the British Summer Time festival in London’s Hyde Park on June 27, 2026, his first UK performance in 30 years.8The Independent. Garth Brooks BST 2026 Tickets and Rape Allegation
Trisha Yearwood has remained publicly supportive. Days after the California lawsuit was filed, she posted a photo to Instagram of the couple performing together, captioned “Love One Another.”15AOL. Trisha Yearwood Issues Direct Message The couple appeared together at President Jimmy Carter’s funeral in January 2025, at Yearwood’s Hollywood Walk of Fame ceremony in March 2025, and in joint promotional appearances for Brooks’s bar.16People. Garth Brooks Lawsuit Didn’t Affect Marriage With Trisha Yearwood In a 2025 interview, Yearwood called Brooks “my person” and “the love of my life.”17NBC. Trisha Yearwood Garth Brooks Marriage Updates A source told People in July 2025 that the lawsuit “didn’t affect their relationship at all.”