lawsuits

Jimmie Allen Accused of Rape by Multiple Women

Photo: Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic

Update June 9: Another woman has come forward accusing Jimmie Allen of sexual assault. An unnamed woman claims that Allen assaulted her as well as secretly videotaping the encounter. According to Variety, Allen approached the woman identified as “Jane Doe 2” on a plane, getting her phone number. Allen allegedly pursued the woman via phone communication, before she agreed to fly to Las Vegas. Upon arriving in Las Vegas, she was taken to a hotel room and Allen assaulted her. “Allen sexually assaulted Jane Doe 2 in his hotel room and then passed out,” the lawsuit reads. “Extremely upset by the assault, Jane Doe 2 was leaving the hotel room when she discovered that Allen had surreptitiously and, without her consent, placed his cell phone in the closet facing the bed and had been videotaping the entire event.” Jane Doe 2 took the phone, turned it in to police, and filed a police report. Since the first accusation of rape and sexual abuse, Allen has been dropped by his publicist and dropped by his label. “BBR Music Group has dissolved its relationship with Jimmie Allen, he is no longer an active artist on its roster,” the label told Billboard.

Original story follows.

Country singer Jimmie Allen has been accused of rape and sexual abuse by a former manager, Variety reports. The news comes just a few weeks after Allen announced he was separating from his wife of three years, Alexis Gale. On Thursday, a woman identified as Jane Doe sued Allen for sexual battery, assault, false imprisonment, sex trafficking, and emotional distress. She claims in the lawsuit that Allen sexually assaulted her during a March 2021 work trip when he was filming an episode of American Idol. She recalls drinking two glasses of wine at a business dinner after the taping, but says she has no memories of the rest of the night. Allegedly, she woke up in a hotel room the next morning “bleeding vaginally,” with Allen insisting that she take Plan B. Per USA Today, the lawsuit accuses Allen of sexually harassing and abusing her “over the course of the next 18 months” and making it clear that she would lose her job if she complained. Jane Doe claims that she said “no” and tried to push Allen away during multiple sexual interactions, some of which he allegedly recorded as blackmail. Other allegations include that he groped her on a plane, pushed his erection against her in public, masturbated in front of her in a hotel, forced his fingers into her vagina, and watched porn on her work computer.

Allen denied the allegations in a statement to Variety, claiming that he and his ex-manager had a consensual “sexual relationship” 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,” he said. “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.” Jane Doe’s legal team claimed that she never asked for money. An attorney said the lawsuit was filed to protect Doe after Allen’s team responded to a request for a meeting by allegedly insinuating they would “take steps to publicly tarnish my client.”

The complaint also accuses Jane Doe’s former employer, Wide Open Music, of negligence and participation in a venture engaged in sex trafficking, among other counts. Wide Open Music founder Ash Bowers, who is also named in the suit, claimed to Variety that he was unaware of a “sexual or physical relationship” between Allen and Jane Doe until she shared her allegations in an October 2022 meeting. The singer was then dropped, and Jane Doe claims that she was fired later that month. In light of the allegations, Allen’s most recent label, BBR Music Group, told Variety that it “has decided to suspend all activity with him, effective immediately.” A spokesperson for UTA told People that the agency has “suspended our representation of Jimmie Allen due to the recent allegations against him, which we take seriously.” He was also replaced as the speaker for Delaware State University’s May 12 commencement ceremony, and per Rolling Stone, will no longer perform at the CMA Fest in June.

Jimmie Allen Accused of Rape by Multiple Women