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Garth Brooks shared a statement in response to a newly-filed lawsuit by a woman identifying herself as a former hair and makeup artist accusing him of sexual assault. The singer-songwriter said in a statement that he is “not the man they have painted me to be.”
News broke of the lawsuit filed in California by the former hair and makeup artist, who was not identified by name in court documents, on Thursday (October 3). Brooks, 62, denied the claims in the filing, and said he anonymously filed a suit about a month ago in an attempt to stop the legal action from moving forward. Brooks said in the statement reported by the Associated Press, NPR, PEOPLE and other news outlets: “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.
“Hush money, no matter how much or how little, is still hush money,” he continued. “In my mind, that means I am admitting to behavior I am incapable of — ugly acts no human should ever do to another. We filed suit against this person nearly a month ago to speak out against extortion and defamation of character. We filed it anonymously for the sake of families on both sides.
“I want to play music tonight. I want to continue our good deeds going forward,” Brooks said. “It breaks my heart these wonderful things are in question now. I trust the system, I do not fear the truth, and I am not the man they have painted me to be.”
Brooks has been married to fellow country artist Trisha Yearwood for nearly two decades. The unnamed woman, referred to as “Jane Roe” in court documents, reportedly began working for Yearwood first, and began working for both artists in 2019. Yearwood has not publicly spoken about the allegations against her husband as of publication time on Friday (October 4).