Jimmie Allen has responded.
Two lawsuits have recently been filed against the Grammy-nominated country singer, containing disturbing allegations of rape, sexual assault, false imprisonment and sex trafficking.
The first lawsuit was filed in the federal court in Tennessee by a woman, identified only as Jane Doe, who used to be a member of Allen’s management team at Wide Open Music. The woman claims that, while she was managing Allen, he repeatedly raped her and subjected her to sexual assault for a period of 18 months.
Allen has denied those allegations, admitting to a consensual sexual relationship with the woman but denying that he assaulted her.
And last month, a second lawsuit was filed by another unnamed woman who alleges that she was randomly approached by Allen on a plane last year, and that the two began engaging in daily communications over the phone. The woman then claims she agreed to meet Allen in Las Vegas, where she was then sexually assaulted.
The woman admits to initially agreeing to have sex with Allen, but only on the condition that he used protection. The lawsuit alleges Allen then penetrated the woman without a condom and told her that he wanted to get her pregnant, and when she told him no, Allen refused and continued to have unprotected sex with the woman despite her repeatedly asking him to stop.
The lawsuit claims that after the alleged assault, the woman noticed Allen’s phone hidden in the closet to record the sexual encounter without her knowledge. The woman then allegedly took the phone and flew home, where she turned the phone in to police and filed a report against Allen.
Publicly, Allen has issued a statement on Instagram apologizing to his wife and children while talking about the “temptations” of the music business, but has denied any claims of sexual assault.
“I want to publicly apologize to my wife Alexis for humiliating her with my affair. I’m embarrassed that my choices have brought shame on her. That’s something that she did not deserve at all.
I also want to apologize to my children for being a poor example of a man and a father.
I’m working on becoming a better person that my kids can be proud of. My goal is to be better than the generation before me.
This business takes so much from you. It’s full of temptations that can cripple you and ruin everything you’ve built. I’m ashamed that I wasn’t strong enough to withstand them. I will no longer be a victim of my weaknesses.
I challenge everyone to seek help when they need it. Do not be afraid of your weakness, surround yourself with people that WILL help you.
Be Blessed.”
And now, he’s responded in court – not only denying the allegations, but also filing his own lawsuits against his two accusers.
In Allen’s first formal response to the lawsuits, Allen denied any allegations of wrongdoing, and also filed countersuits against both of the women.
In the first case involving his former manager, Allen filed a counterclaim for defamation, alleging that the woman made “deliberate, intentional, malicious, and willful” statements to Variety, which first broke the news of the allegations.
His counterclaim states:
“Throughout the Variety article, Jane Doe made several untruthful statements which painted Allen and Doe’s consensual affair as nonconsensual sexual misconduct. Allen’s reputation and relationships within the entertainment industry have also been severely damaged as a result Jane Doe’s statements in the Variety article.”
And in the second case involving the woman who alleged she discovered Allen’s phone in the closet recording their encounter, Allen alleges that the woman consented to the recording – and is suing her for taking his phone.
“By taking his camera phone without permission, Jane Doe 2 wrongfully exerted a distinct act of dominion over Allen’s personal property.”
Allen also released a statement to Billboard, calling the allegations false and discussing the harm they have caused his career:
“As the son and brother of rape victims, and the father of daughters, these false claims are extremely hurtful to me and everyone around me,” Allen said. “These false allegations have caused me to lose a vast number of business and endorsement opportunities that I worked extremely hard for. These false allegations have also not only harmed me, but have caused severe financial damage to my band, my team, and their families.”
Since the allegations, Allen has been dropped by his record label and was removed from the lineup at last month’s CMA Fest.
He says that he “engaged with a legal team to proceed with an appropriate course of action” in filing the counterclaims in order to “protect my reputation and refute these claims that have caused severe damage to my family, mental health, and business.”
Allen also said that he’s looking forward to having his day in court:
“As the legal process runs its course, I look forward to the opportunity to clear my name.”Â
