Country Star Jimmie Allen Sued for Assault and Sexual Abuse by Former Manager (EXCLUSIVE)  | instastori.com

In May 2021, Grammy-nominated, multiplatinum state prima Jimmie Allen visited “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” to beforehand his latest project, a children’s book titled, “My Voice Is a Trumpet.” Images flashed crossed nan surface of Allen pinch his woman and kids, arsenic he said astir his caller wedding and gushed astir his caller babe girl.

“When you spot things happening that shouldn’t, guidelines up for it,” Allen said connected nan talk show arsenic he shared nan inspiration down his book. “It’s truthful important to thatch them astatine a young age,” he continued. “That way, they turn up to beryllium adults that still person that aforesaid assurance to speak up for themselves and speak up for different people.”

As Allen was giving this advice, a female successful her early twenties from his guidance squad was opinionated backstage. She alleges that while she was employed by nan singer’s guidance institution arsenic Allen’s day-to-day manager, Allen raped her and many times subjected her to intersexual maltreatment and harassment complete a play of 18 months. In nan 24 hours starring up to his “Ellen” appearance, Allen allegedly assaulted this female arsenic they traveled together, groping her breasts connected nan plane, pushing his erect penis against her assemblage successful nationalist and masturbating successful beforehand of her astatine nan edifice wherever they were some staying, nan female told Variety. Once they near nan taping and sewage into nan car, she says he forced his fingers into her pussy while she tried to yank his manus away.

Two months earlier his “Ellen” appearance, Allen allegedly raped this aforesaid female during a different activity travel to Los Angeles, successful March 2021, erstwhile he was filming an section of “American Idol” arsenic a personage guest, according to a suit revenge Thursday successful Tennessee national tribunal successful which nan female is identified arsenic “Jane Doe.” She claims that pursuing a business meal aft nan “Idol” taping, she woke up naked successful her edifice room successful terrible symptom and bleeding vaginally, having remembered thing of what happened nan nighttime before. She says Allen was laying adjacent to her successful bed, and insisted she return a Plan B pill. She realized she had mislaid her virginity done nary prime of her ain and felt she had betrayed her faith.

“I was disconnected from my body, emotion a consciousness of panic,” she tells Variety. Disoriented and confused, she says she remembers Allen saying, “‘I’ve been reasoning astir this for truthful long.’” She adds: “He held maine successful place. At that point, immoderate beingness will was conscionable retired nan door. I was beautiful overmuch paralyzed.”

In a connection to Variety, Allen claims that he had a consensual intersexual narration pinch his day-to-day manager.

“It is profoundly troubling and hurtful that personification I counted arsenic 1 of my closest friends, colleagues and confidants would make allegations that person nary truth to them whatsoever,” Allen says. “I admit that we had a intersexual narration — 1 that lasted for astir 2 years. During that time, she ne'er erstwhile accused maine of immoderate wrongdoing, and she said of our narration and relationship arsenic being thing she wanted to proceed indefinitely. Only aft things ended betwixt us, did she prosecute a lawyer to scope retired and inquire for money, which leads maine to mobility her motives. The elemental truth is, her accusations are not only false, but besides highly damaging. I’ve worked incredibly difficult to build my career, and I intend to equine a vigorous defense to her claims and return each different ineligible action basal to protect my reputation.”

Jane Doe’s lawyer pushes backmost connected Allen’s declare that her customer ever asked for money, stating, “The only inquire we made of Allen and his ineligible counsel was to meet to talk Allen’s behaviour and solution of our client’s claims. At nary clip did our customer make a monetary demand. The consequence was a difficult no, and colored pinch threats that his squad would return steps to publically tarnish my client. My customer had nary prime but to beryllium proactive successful protecting herself by filing nan complaint.”

Off-stage, Allen’s individual life has precocious been making headlines. On April 21, Allen and his woman announced their separation. They did not mention immoderate logic for their split, but shared that his woman is pregnant their 3rd child.

The female — who requested to stay anonymous successful bid to protect her personality and because she still useful successful nan euphony manufacture — is suing Allen, arsenic good arsenic her erstwhile employer, Wide Open Music, and Ash Bowers, its founder. Bowers discovered Allen successful 2016 and pinch his guidance firm, he helped catapult nan performer to state euphony superstardom. He is besides credited arsenic a shaper and songwriter connected each of his albums. In 2 conversations pinch Variety, and successful nan lawsuit, nan female claims she was manipulated and groomed by Allen into a sexually abusive narration that lasted for complete a twelvemonth and a half.

Jane Doe says she reported immoderate of Allen’s verbal harassment to her leader connected galore occasions. When she told Bowers astir allegedly being raped and sexually abused, Wide Open Music dropped Allen arsenic a customer — but according to her lawsuit, they besides terminated her.

Bowers tells Variety that he did not occurrence Jane Doe for retaliation. He says erstwhile nan institution parted ways pinch Allen, her position was eliminated. “[Jane Doe] was nan day-to-day head for Mr. Allen,” Bowers says. “Once Wide Open Music nary longer managed Mr. Allen, that domiciled was gone and, furthermore, [the company] has transitioned retired of creator guidance completely.”

Before nan alleged workplace abuse, Jane Doe was excited to onshore her first creator guidance occupation aft college. “It was my dream of dreams to activity and beryllium portion of nan euphony organization successful Nashville,” nan female tells Variety. After graduating magna cum laude from Vanderbilt University successful 2019, she worked successful UTA’s Nashville agency wherever she was soon poached by Wide Open Music to subordinate Allen’s squad arsenic nan state star’s day-to-day manager. Allen was Wide Open Music’s biggest client, and nan occupation was a immense opportunity. She helped scheme and execute his publicity, world merchandise schedules, promos, societal media plans, marketing, touring and attended each appearances pinch him, often required to recreation unsocial pinch nan star.

But while she was helping negociate Allen’s career, she says nan state prima subjected her to a “torrential cycle” of ongoing maltreatment and harassment. Her suit claims that Allen “made clear her occupation was limited connected her staying silent astir his conduct.”

In nan reporting of this story, 2 sources — a friend and Jane Doe’s mother — said to Variety to verify her claims, recounting her telling them astir nan alleged abuse. Variety reviewed hundreds of Jane Doe’s matter messages pinch Allen, Bowers, her friend and family members that corroborate parts of her story.

In her lawsuit, Jane Doe alleges that Allen raped her while choking her, sexually abused her astatine reddish lights erstwhile she drove him to and from business events and looked astatine porn connected her activity computer. Jane Doe tells Variety that she said “no” and tried to push Allen distant during galore intersexual interactions, and aft she had been allegedly coerced and forced to person intersexual intercourse pinch Allen, she would regularly bleed, outcry uncontrollably and tally to nan bath to vomit. Despite these signs, she says Allen grounded to admit her beingness and affectional pain.

Allen videotaped aggregate intersexual encounters “to blackmail her to enactment silent,” according to nan suit, while she says he insisted Jane Doe surrender her ain telephone and different electronics erstwhile they were together.

Every allegation cited successful nan suit and discussed during Variety’s interviews occurred while Jane Doe was moving connected Allen’s squad astatine Wide Open Music. Most of nan alleged maltreatment took spot erstwhile she was assigned to recreation unsocial pinch nan star. Variety has reviewed recreation documents and photos that spot Jane Doe astatine galore of nan locations and events that she describes successful this story.

“I person to show this communicative because there’s nary measurement I would fto my girl adjacent a business for illustration this. My life has been turned wrong retired because of Jimmie Allen,” she says.

In nan civilian suit against Allen, Bowers and Wide Open Music, revenge connected Thursday pinch nan United States District Court of Tennessee, Allen is being sued for intersexual battery, assault, mendacious imprisonment, activity trafficking and affectional distress; Bowers and Wide Open Music are being sued for gross negligence and participating successful a task engaged successful activity trafficking, among different counts. Jane Doe is represented by lawyer Elizabeth Fegan, founding partner of nan Chicago-based patient FeganScott, who has antecedently represented women who person accused Harvey Weinstein and female students abused successful nan USC gynecology scandal. Jane Doe is requesting a assemblage proceedings and is seeking undisclosed monetary damages.

“Wide Open Music knew that Jimmie Allen regularly engaged successful intersexual harassment but required Plaintiff to activity pinch him anyway,” Fagen writes successful nan suit. “Wide Open Music knew that Allen was dangerous, and assigned Plaintiff to beryllium his Day-to-Day Manager anyway. Wide Open Music did not adequately pass aliases hole Plaintiff for, aliases protect her from, nan utmost intersexual harassment, abuse, grooming, and manipulation she would strengthen successful bid to support her job.”

Bowers tells Variety he and nan institution were unaware of “the beingness of a intersexual aliases beingness relationship” betwixt Allen and Jane Doe until she group a gathering pinch him to disclose her allegations of beingness intersexual maltreatment connected Oct. 4, 2022, much than a twelvemonth and a half aft she alleges nan harassment and maltreatment began. Bowers says arsenic soon arsenic Jane Doe informed him of immoderate beingness allegations, “We instantly ended our master narration pinch Mr. Allen.”

Allen’s departure from Wide Open Music successful precocious 2022 happened quietly, without attracting property attention, moreover though he was nan company’s apical customer and 1 of nan astir promising stars successful modern state music. In December 2022, he signed pinch nan boutique guidance firm, The Familie, which mostly represents master athletes and besides Machine Gun Kelly. (The guidance patient did not respond to Variety’s petition for comment.)

Allen has ambitions that agelong acold beyond music. The groundbreaking creator has cultivated an All-American, family-friendly persona and his look is everywhere: He co-hosted nan 2022 ACM Awards pinch Dolly Parton, shared a deed azygous pinch Brad Paisley, performed connected a float astatine nan 2021 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, won champion caller creator astatine nan CMA and ACM awards, competed connected nan 30th play of “Dancing With nan Stars” and precocious served arsenic a judge connected Apple’s euphony title show, “My Kind of Country,” executive produced by Reese Witherspoon. Three of his first 4 singles went No. 1 astatine state radio, a rarity for a debuting creator successful nan format. As a 25-year-old, Allen, now 37, competed connected nan tenth play of “American Idol” successful 2011, making it to nan Top 40; he’s nan only “Idol” alum, speech from Carrie Underwood, to beryllium nominated for champion caller creator astatine nan Grammys.

According to nan lawsuit, Jane Doe is not nan first female worker to beryllium terminated from Wide Open Music aft speaking up astir Allen’s alleged conduct. Before Jane Doe was hired arsenic Allen’s day-to-day manager, nan institution had fired Allen’s erstwhile day-to-day head aft she “defended different female who was nan target of Allen’s intersexual advances,” nan suit claims. Given that Wide Open Music had fired Allen’s erstwhile head (who was later rehired astatine nan institution successful different division), Jane Doe “understood that her occupation was limited connected tolerating Allen’s misconduct,” her lawyer writes.

Bowers was alert of his client’s behavior, nan suit says, moreover informing Jane Doe during her hiring process that Allen “was known to push inappropriate intersexual boundaries.” During her question and reply process pinch Bowers, he advised Jane Doe that Allen was “promiscuous but harmless,” according to nan suit, “implying that it was inevitable that Allen would make intersexual advances” connected her.

“I didn’t deliberation that meant predator,” she says. “I didn’t deliberation that meant Jimmie would beryllium a threat to me.”

When Jane Doe was hired astatine Wide Open Music successful April 2020, she says nan intersexual harassment began almost immediately.

She began her occupation successful nan early days of nan pandemic. The world was unopen down, but she was required to beryllium connected nan roadworthy pinch Allen. The very first clip she met Allen in-person was for a distant seizure for CMA Summer Jam successful May 2020. She says moments aft meeting, Allen shouted from nan stage, “Are you single?” She says that during a capacity astatine nan Ryman successful 2020, Allen yelled her sanction from nan stage, erstwhile again, this clip publically exclaiming, “I emotion you.” She says nan call-out made her consciousness embarrassed successful beforehand of an auditorium afloat of agents and different manufacture figures.

Allen commented regularly connected Jane Doe’s quality and her position arsenic a azygous woman, according to nan suit. He besides allegedly made inappropriate, intersexual comments astir her individual life.

At a workplace convention astatine an iHeart facility, Allen allegedly made comments loudly successful beforehand of representatives from his label, BBR Music Group, astir whether Jane Doe was connected commencement control. The suit says that during a telephone telephone successful May 2020, conscionable 1 period aft Jane Doe was hired to activity pinch Allen, nan vocalist asked if she was a virgin.

A friend and erstwhile workfellow of Jane Doe tells Variety that she vividly remembers Jane Doe telling her astir this telephone call. (Variety has reviewed complete 150 matter messages betwixt Jane Doe and her friend wherever she told her astir nan alleged maltreatment successful real-time, and shared interest complete losing her profession if she said retired against Allen.)

The alleged verbal workplace harassment yet escalated. Within little than a twelvemonth of moving pinch Allen, Jane Doe says she was raped.

According to nan lawsuit, nan alleged battle occurred successful March 2021 erstwhile Allen was filming “American Idol.” After nan taping successful which Allen was featured arsenic a personage mentor, Jane Doe accompanied Allen to a meal astatine nan West Hollywood personage hotspot, Craig’s, pinch a mini group of executives. During nan dinner, she says Allen started rubbing her limb nether nan table. “Suddenly, my pharynx closes and my bosom is pounding,” she recalls. “Jimmie is whispering to me, ‘This is going to happen, this is going to happen.’” At dinner, Jane Doe drank 2 glasses of wine, on pinch a afloat meal. But aft that, she says she has nary representation of getting backmost to her hotel.

“Allen sexually assaulted Plaintiff, while she was incapacitated and incapable of giving consent,” nan suit reads. “She mislaid consciousness and awoke naked successful her edifice room respective hours later, pinch Jimmie Allen insisting she return Plan B arsenic soon arsenic possible.”

Groggy and confused, erstwhile Jane Doe near nan edifice to caput to nan airdrome by herself, Allen “grabbed her and forcibly kissed her goodbye,” per nan lawsuit, whispering, “You’re excavation now.”

On nan level thrust from Los Angeles to Palm Beach, Florida, she could hardly make consciousness of what had happened. “I felt a batch of pain. My assemblage felt very sore,” she recalls. “My mind and bosom were catching up because my assemblage was nan impervious that I was raped, but I did not moreover cognize really to registry that. Rape felt truthful absurd to me. How could that hap to me?”

Jane Doe was flying to subordinate her family for a pre-approved picnic that would beryllium her first days disconnected activity since she started nan occupation astir a twelvemonth prior. After she landed, mentally and physically distraught from nan nighttime before, her telephone lit up pinch texts from Bowers requesting she alert backmost to Los Angeles to travel Allen astatine an quality connected “Family Feud.” Two days later, Jane Doe was backmost successful Los Angeles pinch Allen arsenic he participated connected nan Steve Harvey crippled show pinch his wife. After Allen’s woman walked onto set, successful a little backstage infinitesimal backstage pinch Jane Doe, she recalls Allen whispering to her, “I missed you.”

“I burst into tears. I’m sobbing for illustration a toddler,” she says. “I’m telling him, ‘I don’t moreover cognize what happened, and I respect you and your family and this occupation excessively overmuch to ever fto this point hap again.’ I’m sputtering words. And he goes, ‘Well, I enjoyed it,’ and past he started dying laughing.”

“After that point,” she continues, “I was ne'er nan same.”

Jane Doe says she was frightened that if she went nationalist pinch her allegations astir being raped by Allen, she would ne'er activity successful nan euphony manufacture again. She says that for nan adjacent twelvemonth and a half, she felt forced into continuous intersexual intercourse pinch nan singer, which she says was intolerable to avoid.

“Allen made clear that Plaintiff’s occupation was limited connected her staying silent astir his conduct,” nan suit states, adding that Allen manipulated his powerfulness and power complete Jane Doe’s domiciled arsenic his head “to enlistee and entice Plaintiff to backstage locations, including his edifice room, home, car and arena locations, wherever he would execute activity acts.”

Jane Doe shares a bid of events pinch Variety where Allen allegedly assaulted her astatine work, including during a sojourn to “The Late Late Show With James Corden” wherever she says she yelled astatine him aft he forced her manus onto his crotch backstage. When Allen toured pinch Carrie Underwood, featured arsenic a typical impermanent connected her 43-arena nationwide “The Denim & Rhinestones Tour,” location was an incident wherever he allegedly groped Jane Doe successful nan greenroom astatine rehearsals. Jane Doe’s friend tells Variety she recalls proceeding astir this incident.

“I was like, ‘What if Carrie walks in?’ He was like, ‘It doesn’t matter.’ He kept trying to pin maine down. I was like, ‘I’m scared,’ and he said, ‘I know, it’s specified a move on,’” she recalls.

Jane Doe says Allen had nary fearfulness successful being caught pinch her. He acted successful plain sight, galore times pinch his family nearby.

She claims nan vocalist would not extremity calling and texting her while he was successful nan Maldives connected his honeymoon. Jane Doe’s mother tells Variety she observed Allen calling her girl many times nan time his woman was successful labour pinch 1 of their children. “He was a very intrusive beingness successful our family’s life,” her mother says.

Variety has reviewed aggregate texts betwixt Jane Doe and Allen, wherever he often uses nan word “signing books.” Jane Doe alleges that this was his codification connection for sex. In 1 matter that was sent during his honeymoon, erstwhile Allen references “books,” Jane Doe responded, “I’m conscionable being awkward because I cognize why you’re retired of municipality this week” to which Allen wrote back, “Don’t beryllium a pussy.”

Ahead of Allen’s Rose Parade capacity for New Year’s 2022, Jane Doe was tasked pinch bringing a COVID trial to his location successful Tennessee where, she says, he allegedly forced her into sex, while his babe girl was successful nan adjacent room.

“I’m stepping into his driveway to driblet disconnected a test, and he shuts nan car shed door,” she says. “He takes my arms, he’s like, ‘Come on, travel on, conscionable really quick,’ and he’s grabbing my hips, turning maine around. He pulls his pants down. I said ‘No.’ He kept grabbing maine and turning maine around.”

After this incident, Jane Doe says she didn’t get retired of furniture for days. She didn’t spell to nan Rose Parade pinch Allen. It was nan first clip she had ever skipped a activity obligation. She told Allen’s circuit head she had a individual emergency.

A fewer weeks later, Jane Doe says she was allegedly assaulted by Allen passim a play activity travel retired of nan state for Luke Bryan’s “Crash My Playa” euphony event. Her friend who said to Variety says she recalls Jane Doe calling her from her edifice room successful Mexico, describing her arsenic “inconsolable.” After Mexico, she texted her sister –- successful a connection that Variety has reviewed — to inquire for nan termination prevention hotline number.

Another business travel that Jane Doe’s friend says was 1 of her “lowest points” passim nan full 18 months occurred successful February 2022 for yet different “American Idol” impermanent spot, this clip successful Hawaii for nan show’s 20th season. Jane Doe says she was successful specified symptom from nan repeated alleged intersexual abuse, she needed aesculapian attention. After being greeted by Ryan Seacrest, Lionel Richie and Katy Perry, arsenic Allen was headed to nan “Idol” shape connected nan beach, Jane Doe stepped distant to inquire a accumulation staffer for a nurse.

“Plaintiff almost collapsed connected group … and was rushed to nan emergency room,” nan suit says.

Without naming nan singer, she told nan expert astir nan “vicious rhythm pinch Allen,” according to nan suit. (Variety has reviewed Jane Doe’s aesculapian measure from this time to corroborate her sojourn to nan ER.) “The expert advised Plaintiff to ‘run’ and get acold distant from Allen, documenting nan vaginal trauma connected her person,” nan suit states.

Jane Doe says Allen called during nan hours she was astatine nan hospital. As she was hysterically crying into nan phone, she remembers him laughing astatine her. “Oh, they deliberation you were raped?” she alleges he said. “You conscionable request to pee adjacent time.”

Months into nan alleged abuse, Jane Doe says she was noticeably different. Many successful her orbit observed concerning changes.

“I witnessed it pinch my ain eyes: Her crying for hours, throwing up uncontrollably from anxiety,” says Jane Doe’s friend pinch whom she was regularly communicating astir nan abuse. (Jane Doe did not study nan March 2021 rape to authorities, but she did show this friend astir 1 period aft nan alleged assault.) Over nan people of nan 18 months, her friend put Jane Doe successful touch pinch a therapist and yet staged an involution pinch her parents to get her retired of her abusive workplace relationship.

“She became a different type of herself,” she says, describing her arsenic “withdrawn, guarded and often having panic attacks.”

Jane Doe lived astatine location pinch her parents while she was moving for Wide Open Music, and her mother says she witnessed her daughter’s psychological deterioration during nan clip she worked pinch Allen. Without knowing nan origin of her utmost work-induced stress, her mother and begetter grew progressively concerned. Eventually, Jane Doe’s mother confirms, her girl informed her she was being sexually abused by Allen.

In July 2021 — 2 months aft Jane Doe says she approached Bowers to talk Allen’s alleged verbal intersexual harassment — she was called into his agency for an impromptu meeting. “While Plaintiff was sitting successful her office, Plaintiff’s distress was noticeably visible,” nan suit reads. “Bowers and different Wide Open Music executive met pinch Plaintiff and asked if thing was wrong. Plaintiff said that Allen was difficult to activity with.” Bowers’ solution, per nan lawsuit, was to recreation little pinch Allen. In nan suit, Jane Doe’s lawyer writes, “This instruction was meaningless fixed nan domiciled of a day-to-day creator head is to enactment arsenic a gatekeeper and frontman astatine nan artist’s events and appearances — making each specified trips essential.”

In March 2022, Jane Doe sat down again pinch her leader to show him that Allen was “humiliating” her, according to nan lawsuit, but she did not speak astir immoderate alleged intersexual assaults. The suit claims Bowers suggested she face Allen “one-on-one” and said that Allen “would suffer” if she were to time off her job.

Wide Open Music did not person a Human Resources department. In April 2021, nan suit claims that Allen opened a pornographic website connected Jane Doe’s activity computer. Allen’s hairsbreadth and constitution adjunct witnessed nan incident and reported it to Bowers. According to nan lawsuit, Allen “ensured nan hairsbreadth and constitution adjunct was fired for being a ‘snitch.’ Thereafter, Allen required anyone that he hired to motion a non-disclosure agreement.” Despite nan constitution artist’s title to guidance astatine Wide Open Music, nan suit states that Bowers did not analyse nan incident aliases return “appropriate aliases capable action to protect” Jane Doe. (Variety reached retired to nan constitution creator galore times, but she did not respond for comment.)

Jane Doe’s alleged maltreatment continued for complete a twelvemonth and a half until October 2022 erstwhile Jane Doe sat down pinch Bowers to disclose that “she had been raped and sexually abused,” nan suit says, and “told him she could not put up pinch Allen’s maltreatment immoderate longer, and asked that she beryllium reassigned.” (This was nan first clip she informed Bowers of immoderate alleged beingness assault.) As she was sharing her allegations of continuous maltreatment connected nan job, Bowers abruptly excused himself from nan meeting, nan suit claims, telling Jane Doe, “I can’t perceive immoderate much of this.”

After that meeting, Bowers instructed Jane Doe and different labor to enactment location from work, while nan institution was “still unwinding things pinch Jimmie,” according to nan lawsuit.

“I americium truthful disgusted, disturbed, confused, manipulated, arsenic good arsenic embarrassed by each of this,” Bowers wrote to Jane Doe and different employee, successful a matter that Variety has reviewed. “I don’t deliberation I should beryllium doing thing until I return immoderate clip disconnected to benignant done each of this. I americium wrecked.”

Soon after, Wide Open Music dropped Allen arsenic a client. And earlier nan extremity of nan month, they besides terminated Jane Doe.

“Rather than reassign her,” nan suit reads, Wide Open Music “placed Plaintiff connected time off and past fired her.”

Chris Willman contributed to this report.