Garth Brooks has been embroiled in a sexual assault lawsuit with a former employee for some time now. He claims his innocence, of course, and is doing everything he can to prove it, or get the case dismissed.
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Earlier this month, it transpired that Brooks was trying to move the lawsuit to the federal courts. We suspected that this was in an effort to have the case thrown out. Well, the case has indeed been moved from the state court in Los Angeles to a California Federal Judge.
That same day, Garth Brooks and his legal team requested that the case dismissed and refiled in the Mississippi federal courts instead. Doing this opens up a number of options for Brooks concerning having the case dismissed altogether, and allowing a previous lawsuit to take precedent.
Basically, Brooks has a current lawsuit against the accuser in Mississippi. This will mean that, if the case is moved, the accuser will have to deal with this one first. This was filed preemptively by Brooks and so will have to be sorted before he needs to prove his innocence. The case against the accuser will mean she has to prove the sexual assault happened before he proves that it didn't. It's complex, convoluted, and a real mess for everyone involved.
Garth Brooks Still Stands By His Innocence
Of course, fans and followers of the Brooks sexual assault lawsuit have been asking him for statements. Everyone wants to know the truth. Garth has spoken up on the situation numerous times.
Speaking about the current situation with the lawsuit and counter lawsuit, Brooks says "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. In my mind, that means I am admitting to behavior I am incapable of - ugly acts no human should ever do to another." He continues, "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."
He stands by his innocence. He plays this out to be an act of extortion by an ex employee. I would have hoped the courts would have got to the bottom of it. But, at this rate, we will never even see the Brooks lawsuit get to a hearing.