Entertainment gossip and news from Newsweek’s network of contributors

Garth Brooks is trying to change course in the sexual assault case against him.

Last month, an anonymous woman named “Jane Roe” filed a lawsuit in a California state court against 62-year-old Brooks, accusing him of sexual assault and battery, which she said occurred in 2019. hairstylist and makeup artist in 1999 for Brooks’ wife, fellow Canadian Trisha Yearwood, before being hired by Brooks in 2017.

Entertainment tonight reported that Brooks’ attorneys had filed a motion to move his case from California Superior Court to federal court. Legal expert Tre Lovell explained to the newspaper that the case qualifies for transfer to federal court as the singer-songwriter is from Tennessee, the accuser is from Mississippi and the amount she is suing for is more than $75,000.

Lovell explained the benefits of moving the case to federal court for the “Friends in Low Places” singer. “It’s probably easier to seal files. You usually get a faster trial date. Judges are more likely to dismiss a case. Los Angeles is more of a minority jury pool; in federal court you have a broader jury poll, and a broader jury poll would Helping Garth in this case too, I think,” Lovell said.

The individual’s lawsuit accuses Brooks of raping her in a Los Angles hotel room before a business trip. In another case, the person says she was at Brooks’ home for work and he walked out of the shower naked and then forced her to touch him. The person also claimed that the Oklahoma native made “repeated” comments about his desire to have a threesome with Yearwood.

The individual also recently released text messages between her and her former employer. This is evident from court documents obtained by We weeklythe country superstar allegedly used “more than one cell phone, and sometimes used different ‘names’ and email addresses to communicate with Ms. Roe.” He told Ms. Roe in advance that it would be him sending her messages, under a different name.”

The two-time Grammy Award winner has vehemently denied the allegations against him, claiming the lawsuit is a way for the individual to extort him for money. In an October statement to Newsweekwrote Brooks: “For the past two months I have been endlessly harassed 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 waving a loaded gun in my face.”

Brooks has been married to Yearwood, 60, since 2005. He has three daughters from his previous marriage to Sandy Mahl: Taylor, 32, Augusta, 30, and Allie, 28.