Garth Brooks Sexual Assault Lawsuit Takes Another Unexpected Turn

Garth Brooks‘ lawyers have filed a motion that could change the path of the sexual assault case against him.

Jane Roe (not her real name) filed her case in California on Oct. 3. Her lawsuit claims that Brooks raped her and sexually assaulted her on separate occasions in 2019.

She worked for the country star and his wife, Trisha Yearwood, prior to and during the timeframe she says the assaults took place, adding that her financial distress made her an easy target for Brooks.

Related: Garth Brooks Sexual Assault Allegations Timeline

ET is now reporting that Brooks’ lawyers have filed a motion to move the lawsuit to federal court, not the Superior Court in California. A legal expert talking to the celebrity news outlet suggests that this move will increase the likelihood of a dismissal and/or expedite the trial.

Federal court would be a third arena for potential litigation on the matter. Separate, but related to the California lawsuit is Brooks’ September motion in Mississippi to proceed under pseudonyms. That filing became contentious when Jane Roe used Brooks’ name in her filing. He responded by using her real name in updates to the Mississippi documents. Taste of Country has chosen not to use her legal name at this time.

ET points out that it’s possible to move to federal court because the two parties live in different states, and the sum Jane Roe is seeking exceeds a certain threshold. With the election this week, the news slipped under the radar in some ways.

So too did Brooks’ latest Inside Studio G episode (Nov. 4) in which he was particularly feisty at the start.

“It’s all about the anthology and it’s all about loving one another, so d–kheads, go home,” he says. “If you’re gonna be an a–hole, go somewhere else there’s plenty of places.”