Country singer Jimmie Allen has been accused of sexual battery, assault and false imprisonment in a lawsuit filed by one of his former managers.
In the lawsuit, filed by a Jane Doe plaintiff in a Tennessee district court on Thursday, May 11, the plaintiff alleges that Allen raped her and repeatedly sexually abused and harassed her during the 18-month period she served as his day-to-day manager.
Variety details the plaintiff's story, citing interviews with the woman, identified only as Jane Doe, as well as her family and friends.
Jane Doe says in March of 2021, she woke up naked in her hotel room and in pain, bleeding vaginally. She says she had no memory of what happened the night before and alleges that Allen was lying next to her in bed and insisted she take a Plan B pill.
"While she only drank a couple of glasses of white wine, Plaintiff does not remember anything after dinner that evening — she lost consciousness and awoke naked in her hotel room several hours later, with Jimmie Allen insisting she take Plan B as soon as possible... Disoriented and confused, Plaintiff was bleeding vaginally. Plaintiff felt mortified and humiliated. She realized she had lost her virginity through no choice of her own and felt she had betrayed her faith," the lawsuit states.
The plaintiff also alleges that Allen groped her in the greenroom during an unspecified stop on Carrie Underwood's Denim & Rhinestones tour.
The plaintiff also says that in February of 2022, during Allen's guest appearance on American Idol, she was in such extreme pain from Allen's repeated sexual abuse that she nearly collapsed on set. After being taken to an emergency room, Jane Doe says she told doctors about the "vicious cycle" she was experiencing (though she did not name Allen). Doctors told her to "run" from the alleged abuser.
The lawsuit also lists Wide Open Music (WOM), the management company that hired Doe when Allen was a client, and its founder Ash Bowers as plaintiffs. The lawsuit claims that Wide Open Music was aware that Allen was "dangerous" and "treated Jimmie Allen's sexual harassment as normal."
"Beginning in May 2020, during photoshoots, public appearances, and performances, when Plaintiff was representing WOM as Allen's manager, Allen sexually harassed Plaintiff openly and publicly by making comments about her status as a single female, her innocence, and how hot she looked. He did so from the stage, in front of the production crew and public audiences," the lawsuit states.
Variety reports that, according to the lawsuit, Jane Doe is not the first female employee to be terminated after speaking out about Allen's alleged conduct.
Allen responded to the allegations, claiming that the relationship was consensual.
"It is deeply troubling and hurtful that someone I counted as one of my closest friends, colleagues and confidants would make allegations that have no truth to them whatsoever," Allen says. "I acknowledge that we had a sexual relationship — one that lasted for nearly two years. During that time, she never once accused me of any wrongdoing, and she spoke of our relationship and friendship as being something she wanted to continue indefinitely. Only after things ended between us, did she hire a lawyer to reach out and ask for money, which leads me to question her motives. The simple fact is, her accusations are not only false, but also extremely damaging. I've worked incredibly hard to build my career, and I intend to mount a vigorous defense to her claims and take all other legal action necessary to protect my reputation."
According to a report from Rolling Stone, the lawsuit accuses Allen of sex trafficking, battery, assault, false imprisonment and intentional infliction of emotional distress.
