Country megastar is accused of sexual assault

LOS ANGELES, Calif. (AP) — Garth Brooks, one of the biggest country music stars of the last three decades, is reportedly accused in a lawsuit of sexually assaulting a hairdresser and makeup stylist.

CNN reports that the lawsuit was filed in a California court on Thursday. The lawsuit says the woman had worked for country singer Trisha Yearwood, Brooks' wife, since 1999 and began working for Brooks in 2017.

According to the lawsuit, the attack occurred in October 2019 in a hotel suite following a Grammy tribute to soul musician Sam Moore. The woman claims that Brooks showed up naked in the bedroom doorway of the suite and raped her.

The lawsuit states that he then proceeded as if nothing had happened and expected her to do his hair and makeup right afterward. The woman also accuses Brooks of standing naked in front of her in his home in early 2019, grabbing her hands and placing them on his genitals.

Brooks, 62, denies the allegations in the lawsuit and says it's a “shakedown,” TMZ reports.

According to TMZ, Brooks was “plagued to the end with threats, lies and tragic stories about what my future would be if I didn't write a multi-million dollar check. It was like a loaded gun was being waved in my face.”

Brooks reportedly sued the woman about a month ago, accusing her of defamation and extortion.

“Hush money, no matter how much or how little, is still hush money,” Brooks said in a statement to People. “In my opinion, this means that I am admitting to behavior that I am incapable of – ugly acts that no human being should ever do to another.

“We filed a lawsuit against this person almost a month ago to speak out against extortion and defamation of reputation. In the interest of the families of both sides, we filed the complaint anonymously.”

Brooks has been one of the best-selling music stars since the 1990s, with an estimated 170 million records sold. He has won several awards including two Grammys and 17 American Music Awards.

(The Associated Press contributed to this story.)