NEW YORK, Oct 4 — Garth Brooks has denied rape accusations against him as he returned to his Las Vegas concert residency in the wake of a sexual misconduct lawsuit filed against the country star. In a statement to People magazine, the 62-year-old dismissed the allegations, in which a former employee accuses Brooks of rape and repeated unwanted sexual advances, including exposing himself and groping. “I have been hassled to no end with threats, lies, and tragic tales of what my future would be if I did not write a check for many millions of dollars,” Brooks said, adding his team had filed suit against the woman for extortion and defamation.
“It has been like having a loaded gun waved in my face,” he said. “I trust the system, I do not fear the truth, and I am not the man they have painted me to be.” The accuser's attorney Douglas Wigdor said in a statement sent to AFP yesterday that Brooks's suggestion “that he was unwilling to pay millions is simply not true.
” “It seems as though Sean Combs and Garth Brooks are using the same public relations team by attacking legitimate victims. “We are very confident in our case and over time the public will see his true character rather than his highly curated persona.” The lawsuit against Brooks is the latest leveled against a music star after more than 100 people filed suit against rapper and music mogul Sean "Diddy" Combs, alleging he subjected them to sexual abuse, on top of the federal racketeering and sex traf.