Country singer Jimmie Allen countersuing two women who accused him of sexual assault, reports
Country singer Jimmie Allen is countersuing two women who have filed lawsuits against him for sexual assault.
He filed documents against both accusers in Tennessee on Thursday, according to Billboard and People.
Allen filed the suits in order to "protect my reputation and refute these claims that have caused severe damage to my family, mental health and business," he told People in a statement.
Attorney Elizabeth Fegan, who is representing both accusers and previously brought sex trafficking claims against Harvey Weinstein, told Paste BN in a statement Friday that her team reviewed the filings by Allen's legal team and they were "what we'd expect – claims that all his encounters with Jane Doe 1 and Jane Doe 2 were consensual."
"We’re eager to show the court abundant evidence to the contrary, which we believe will prove that Jimmie Allen is a serial abuser and should be held accountable for his actions," Fegan continued.
She called Allen's legal move part of a "concerning trend."
"It is becoming increasingly common for perpetrators to countersue their victims, claiming defamation," she said, noting that the trend is "designed to convince victims that if they speak out, they will be the target of spurious litigation.”
Both lawsuits followed Allen and his wife Alexis Gale announcing in April that they're separating – and have a baby on the way. On Thursday, however, Allen told People that he and Gale were working on their relationship while their divorce case remains pending.
"I've taken a couple months before publicly responding to these claims, because I wanted to fix my family first. This situation has caused me great humiliation, and I felt it was necessary to seek professional help," he said in his Thursday statement about the countersuits to People. "For years, I have dealt with racism and harmful threats solely because I am a Black man in the country music industry, and this situation has only amplified that."
Two women have filed sexual assault lawsuits against Jimmie Allen
Two women have filed lawsuits alleging sexual assault against Allen.
In May, Allen's manager filed a suit against him for rape. Allen denied the claims in the first lawsuit, alleging the relationship was consensual.
Jane Doe 1 alleged he raped and sexually abused her while she worked on his management team.
The suit, filed in Tennessee court May 11, refers to the plaintiff as Jane Doe throughout the documents. In the suit, she alleged the country music artist raped her while she was incapacitated following a taping of an "American Idol" episode in March 2021. She also alleged Allen "manipulated and used his power over Plaintiff’s job to sexually harass and abuse her over the course of the next 18 months" and that "it was made clear to Plaintiff that she would lose her job if she complained."
What to know: Jimmie Allen accused of second sexual assault
Allen's second accuser, identified as Jane Doe 2, filed a lawsuit in June in Tennessee demanding a jury trial while claiming that the musician filmed a sexual encounter she had with him secretly, without her consent, according to the complaint obtained by Paste BN. The anonymous accuser also claimed Allen continued pursuing sexual contact with her after she told him she no longer gave consent.
Contributing: Charles Trepany