Country star and Milton native Jimmie Allen sued for sexual abuse and assault

Country star and Milton native Jimmie Allen, who was slated to speak at Delaware State University's commencement Friday, is being sued by his former day-to-day manager for sexual abuse and assault, according to a federal civil lawsuit filed Thursday in Nashville.

Allen, who won the 2021 New Artist of the Year Award at the Country Music Awards and was a 2022 Grammy nominee for Best New Artist, also was removed from this year’s CMAFest performance lineup where he was set to play on June 11, according to Rolling Stone, and suspended from his label, Stoney Creek Records/BBR Music Group.

DSU issued a statement Thursday evening saying Allen notified them he would not be participating at Friday’s undergraduate commencement, where he was scheduled to be the keynote speaker.

“The University respects Mr. Allen’s decision and is grateful that Congresswoman U.S. Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester has agreed to address the graduates,” according to the statement.

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Word of the lawsuit comes less than a month after Allen announced that he and his wife, Alexis Gale, are separating while also expecting another child together later this year.

Through a statement provided by his attorney, 37-year-old Allen confirmed that he and the plaintiff had a sexual relationship but claimed that it 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’s statement reads. “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.”

The 18-page lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee by Allen's former day-to-day manager, who is identified as Jane Doe. Her lawsuit seeks compensatory, incidental, consequential and punitive damages, as well as attorneys' fees and costs.

Also named in the lawsuit are Wide Open Music, an artist management company based in Nashville and its founder Ash Bowers, who is also Allen's principal manager.

Producer assigned to Allen

When the woman was assigned to Allen, the lawsuit claims Bowers warned her that the Delaware native was known to push inappropriate sexual boundaries.

Bowers, according to the lawsuit, told her "Allen was promiscuous but 'harmless,' implying that it was inevitable that Allen would make sexual advances."

Bowers and WOM staff treated Allen's sexual harassment as normal, even though the lawsuit says there was nothing normal about it.

"WOM did not adequately warn or prepare Plaintiff for, or protect her from, the extreme sexual harassment, abuse, grooming and manipulation she would endure in order to keep her job," the lawsuit claims.

Starting in May 2020, Allen sexually harassed the day-to-day manager openly during photoshoots, public appearances and performances, according to the lawsuit. Allen also made public comments about her status as a single female, her innocence and how "hot" she looked, the suit claims.

"He did so from the stage, in front of the production crew and public audiences," the lawsuit claims. "During debriefings after performances, Allen would ask Plaintiff personal sexual questions, including whether she was a virgin."

Because the woman lacked knowledge and experience regarding sex and workplace behavior, the lawsuit claims she relied on WOM's and Bowers' direction "that this was normal and harmless behavior."

Lawsuit includes claim of rape

In March 2021, after filming an “American Idol” episode in which Allen appeared, the lawsuit says the woman attended a dinner with Allen and industry executives.

While she drank only a couple of glasses of white wine, the woman said, she does not remember anything after dinner and lost consciousness. When she woke, the lawsuit says, she was naked in her hotel room with Allen insisting she take Plan B as soon as possible. Plan B is an emergency contraceptive that helps prevent pregnancy within 72 hours after unprotected sex.

Disoriented and confused, the woman was bleeding vaginally and she realized that she had lost her virginity "through no choice of her own and felt she'd betrayed her faith,” the lawsuit says.

Despite her being disoriented and injured, the lawsuit claims, Allen insisted she go with him to the nearest drugstore to purchase Plan B.

"After rushing to the drugstore and returning to the hotel, Allen opened the pack of Plan B and supervised Plaintiff while she took the medication," according to the lawsuit. "Afterwards, Plaintiff started to leave. On the way out, Allen grabbed her and forcibly kissed her goodbye, whispering, 'You’re mine now.'"

The woman, who felt completely numb, was terrified that if she reported this to Bowers, she would be fired like the manager before her.

'Snitch' gets fired

While at a filming in April 2021, Allen opened a pornography website on the woman's WOM-issued computer, according to the lawsuit.

Shocked, the woman immediately closed the browser and shut the laptop, the lawsuit claims.

However, Allen's hair and makeup assistant witnessed the incident and reported it to Bowers.

Allen ensured the hair and makeup assistant was fired for being a "snitch," according to the lawsuit, which added that the country singer required anyone he hired to sign a nondisclosure agreement.

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After this, the lawsuit says, Allen's sexual harassment of the woman "significantly increased"to include grabbing her breasts or buttocks from behind or harassing her to engage in sexualconduct.

"Jimmie Allen put his hands down her pants in public," according to the lawsuit. "When she tried to push him away, he held her down."

When the day-to-day manager drove Allen to and from events, the lawsuit says, he sexually abused her everywhere they went, including at red lights, in green rooms and on airplanes.

"He raped her in private while choking her," the lawsuit says. "He videotaped multiple sexual encounters in order to blackmail her to stay silent."

Around Feb. 15, 2022, while in Honolulu, the woman almost collapsed on set and was rushed to theemergency room.

There the woman spoke to the emergency room doctor and told him about the "vicious cycle withAllen," according to the lawsuit. The doctor advised the woman to "run" and get far away from Allen, documenting her vaginal trauma.

Retaliation for reporting

In March of last year, the lawsuit says the woman sat with Bowers and began to tear up as she explained how she felt humiliated by Allen.

Bowers told her it would be best if she confronted Allen one-on-one and that Allen “would suffer” if she were to leave her job.

The lawsuit claims that neither WOM or Bowers investigated to what extent the woman was being harmed by Allen. They also did not take any action to protect her, the suit says.

Allen, however, continued to sexually harass and assault the woman, who court records say became increasingly depressed and anxious.

"She felt she was on the verge of a nervous breakdown and considered committing suicide," the lawsuit says. "She was pushed to her breaking point."

When she sat with Bowers on Oct. 4, 2022, she told him she could not put up with Allen's abuse any longer and asked that she be reassigned.

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Bowers scheduled a follow-up meeting with her on Oct. 7, 2022, in which she disclosed the details of Allen's abuse, according to the lawsuit.

"I can’t hear any more of this,” the lawsuit claims Bowers said. He then took a break.

Later that day, Bowers texted the woman, telling her she was being placed on leave and that "she should not come into the office, and he had to think about his options," according to the lawsuit

Bowers scheduled another meeting 19 days later, where WOM fired her.

What is Jimmie Allen being sued for?

Her lawsuit brings six counts against Allen, including sex trafficking, battery, assault, false imprisonment, and intentional and negligent infliction of emotional distress. She also brings six counts against Wide Open Music and its founder for participation in a sex trafficking venture, negligent failure to warn, negligence, gross negligence and emotional distress charges.

Delaware Online/The News Journal's sister newspaper in Nashville, The Tennessean, reached out to Wide Open Music for comment. Wide Open Music and its founder do not yet have an attorney listed in online court records.

Reporter Kelly Powers contributed to this story. Contact Esteban Parra at (302) 324-2299 or eparra@delawareonline.com.

This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: Country star, Delaware native Jimmie Allen sued for sex abuse, assault