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NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — A former manager of country music star Jimmie Allen has filed a lawsuit claiming the musician raped and sexually abused her.
The lawsuit, filed on May 11 in U.S. District Court, also includes Wide Open Music (WOM) and its founder Ash Bowers.
According to the document, when the plaintiff (referred to as Jane Doe) was assigned to work with Allen as his day-to-day manager, Bowers warned her that the singer was “known to push inappropriate sexual boundaries” and that he was “promiscuous but harmless.”
In May 2020, Doe alleges Allen began sexually harassing her openly and publicly by making comments about her being single, her innocence, and her appearance. According to the lawsuit, he would ask her personal sexual questions, including asking if she was a virgin.
After a March 2021 dinner between Allen, Doe, and “industry executives,” the suit claims the singer sexually assaulted Doe while she was incapacitated and incapable of giving consent.
The document states, “While she only drank a couple of glasses of white wine, [Doe] 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.”
Allen allegedly “manipulated and used his power over [Doe’s] job to sexually harass and abuse her over the course of the next 18 months.”
By October 2022, Doe was “severely depressed and anxious and had considered suicide as a result of Allen’s conduct.”
According to the lawsuit, Doe sat down with Bowers in early October to disclose that she had been raped and sexually abused and that she could not put up with Allen’s abuse any longer. She asked to be reassigned, but the lawsuit claims that WOM placed her on leave and then fired her later that month.
When reached for comment on the lawsuit, Jimmie Allen’s attorney sent News 2 the following statement:
“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. 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 CMA representative, Allen has been dropped from the lineup for June’s CMA Fest.
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