Jimmie Allen, facing sexual assault allegations, countersues accusers
Allen's record label, BBR Music Group, his talent agency, UTA, and his publicity company, Full Coverage Communications, all severed ties with him due to the allegations.
Jimmie Allen responded to two women who have accused the country singer of sexual assault and abuse by filing counterclaims against them.
According to People, Allen submitted his counterclaims Thursday to the federal court in Nashville, Tennessee, demanding an undetermined amount of damages. In a statement, Allen said his objective in fighting the women’s claims in court is to “protect my reputation and refute these claims that have caused severe damage to my family, mental health, and business.”
The Grammy-nominated performer explained in his statement that he had delayed responding because he first wanted to work on his home life.
“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,” Allen wrote, People reported. “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.”
Allen’s former manager filed a lawsuit against him in May, alleging that he abused, raped and sexually harassed her on more than one occasion and that his management team was aware of it. Then, last month, a second woman accused him of violating her privacy by secretly recording their encounter in a hotel room and having sexual contact with her after she had revoked her consent.
After more than a decade in the industry and four No. 1 hits, Allen had begun to establish himself as a music star in the country genre before the allegations. He claimed in his statement that because of the accusations, he’d lost several business and endorsement opportunities for which he had worked very hard.Â
Allen’s record label, BBR Music Group, his talent agency, UTA, and his publicity company, Full Coverage Communications, all severed ties with him due to the allegations. Last month’s CMA Fest also dropped him from its list of performers.
“These false allegations have also not only harmed me,” Allen added, “but have caused severe financial damage to my band, my team, and their families.”
Allen’s legal team responded to his former manager by claiming that she had defamed the singer with her allegations, contending it was unacceptable for her to go on to make further remarks to Variety about the abuse. He reaffirmed his claims that their interactions were consensual and stated that their affair ended in the fall of 2022 so he could “focus on repairing his relationship with his wife.”
In April, Allen and his then-pregnant wife, Alexis, filed for divorce after three years of marriage.
According to the manager’s lawsuit, which she filed under the alias Jane Doe, Allen sexually assaulted her in Los Angeles in March 2021 during a business trip to tape an “American Idol” episode. She claimed that during a second trip in May 2021, the singer touched her vagina with his fingers, caressed her breasts on a plane and masturbated in front of her at a hotel.
She described to Variety how she felt physically removed from her body and recalled being disoriented when Allen allegedly told her, “I’ve been thinking about this for so long.”
“He held me in place,” she continued, according to People. “At that point, any physical will was just out the door. I was pretty much paralyzed.”
In his second countersuit, Allen claimed the woman, who also filed against him anonymously, had unlawfully taken his cell phone and had “wrongfully exerted a distinct act of dominion over Allen’s personal property.”
The singer’s attorneys allege she gave prior consent for the singer to videotape the interaction.
The woman claimed to have reported the July 2022 event to the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police, which was confirmed by a department spokesperson last month.
According to the woman’s lawsuit, filed in June, she only consented to have sex with a condom because she was not on birth control. However, during the encounter, Allen told her he wanted to get her pregnant. “Plaintiff said no … He refused.” In his lawsuit, Allen acknowledged having unprotected sex with the woman but “did not ejaculate,” People reported.
Beth Fegan, an attorney for both accusers, said Allen’s countersuit filings are “what we’d expect,” claims of only consensual interactions with Jane Doe 1 and Jane Doe 2.
“We’re eager to show the court abundant evidence to the contrary,” said Fegan, People reported, “which we believe will prove that Jimmie Allen is a serial abuser and should be held accountable for his actions.”
She noted it is becoming increasingly typical for offenders to cite defamation and countersue their victims.
“This is a concerning trend,” Fagan contended, “one designed to convince victims that if they speak out, they will be the target of spurious litigation.”
TheGrio is FREE on your TV via Apple TV, Amazon Fire, Roku and Android TV. Also, please download theGrio mobile apps today!
