Mega star defends himself

Serious allegations against Garth Brooks

Garth Brooks: A former employee accuses the 62-year-old of rape in a hotel in 2019, among other things.(Bild: AP/George Walker IV)

Country megastar Garth Brooks (62) has been sued for sexual offenses. The two-time Grammy award-winner rejects the accusations and is defending himself with a countersuit. 

A former employee of many years, who worked for him as a make-up artist and hairdresser, filed the civil suit in Los Angeles. Among other things, the unnamed woman accuses the singer of raping her in a hotel in Los Angeles in 2019.

Country star defends himself
Brooks took preventive legal action against the woman, who lives in the US state of Mississippi, in September. He accuses her of attempted blackmail and defamation, among other things. She allegedly demanded millions from him in return for not filing a lawsuit.

In the statement of claim, the woman describes repeated sexual assaults. She also makes it clear that she was dependent on the work due to financial hardship. In a statement, lawyer Douglas H. Wigdor praised his client's "courage" in taking legal action against Brooks.

Persecuted with threats and lies
In a statement on Thursday (local time), Brooks explained that he had been persecuted over the past two months with threats and lies about what his future would look like if he did not pay hush money. Had he complied with these demands, he said, he would have been admitting to behavior he was incapable of - "ugly acts that no human being should ever do to another."

Multiple award-winning
Brooks became famous in the 1990s for his mixture of country music with pop and rock sounds. His successful albums include "Ropin' The Wind" and "The Chase". The multiple award-winning musician is one of the most successful US artists. The father of three has been married to his country music colleague Trisha Yearwood since 2005.