Garth Brooks Accuser To Remain Anonymous, Lawsuits To Move Forward

The woman accusing Garth Brooks of sexual assault will be allowed to keep her anonymity. Three judges at the US Court of Appeals recently ruled in her favor.

This issue was holding up lawsuits filed in Mississippi and California and while those are clear to proceed it’s unclear if either will reach a swift conclusion.

• A makeup artist accused Garth Brooks of sexual assault and rape in October 2024. She filed as Jane Roe in California.
• A month prior, Brooks filed a preemptive suit in Mississippi, seeing an injunction to block her from “extortionate conduct.”
• Brooks denies the accusations, telling CNN it was extortion.

Whiskey Riff obtained court documents from the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals.

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The country music news and lifestyle website shares details and quotes from the decision. The court made at least three points:

1. Judges state that defendants are just as deserving of pseudonymity as plaintiffs.
2. Using real names would require the disclosure of details of the “utmost intimacy.”
3. Jane Roe erred in using her real name in court documents earlier.

“The disclosures were unintentional, were made in portions of larger filings, & Roe took steps to correct the errors once becoming aware of them, resulting in the sealing and refiling of the documents," the decision reads (per Whiskey Riff).

A lower court had ruled against Jane Roe earlier so this decision overturns that one. Brooks had named his accuser in an amended filing, submitted on Oct. 8, 2024.

Garth Brooks' Sexual Assault Lawsuit, What's Next?

In his initial response to the accusations, Brooks said lawyers told him the case could take two years to complete. He also made it clear he wasn’t going to settle.

It’s been over two years, with very little movement. The decision to grant Jane Roe anonymity took a full year, during which little happened with either case. Brooks’ lawsuit in Mississippi (where his accuser lives) has actually been sealed (per the the Clarion Ledger) but it's still open.

Jane Roe had tried to have that lawsuit dismissed but a judge ruled her request “moot" in 2025.

Her original lawsuit was filed in California state court, as the events she describes allegedly took place there. In November 2024 a judge transferred it to federal court and there it’s sat while the Mississippi case develops.

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This seemed like a legal victory for Brooks. Legal experts say an appeal and expedited trial are more likely in federal court, but also bar for a jury conviction is raised. In California state court, a civil case needs just 3/4 of the jury to agree. It needs to be unanimous federally.

The next decision may decide if Brooks' Mississippi can can be dismissed (Roe's wish) or if the two cases can be combined and moved to Mississippi (Brooks' wish).

The accuser worked as a makeup artist for Brooks and his wife Trisha Yearwood for many years. Her lawsuit describes a pattern of verbal and physical assault across many years.