Country singer Jimmie Allen is being sued by a former member of his management team who says she was repeatedly raped during a "torrential cycle" of abuse over 18 months. The former manager, a woman in her early 20s, has filed a civil lawsuit against Allen alleging sexual battery, assault, false imprisonment, sex trafficking, and emotional distress, Variety reports. She is also suing the management company. She says the abuse began when she was working as Allen's day-to-day manager. The former manager says that during a trip to Los Angeles in 2021, where Allen filmed an episode of American Idol, she woke up in her hotel room next to Allen and found she had lost her virginity without consent, the Guardian reports.
The former manager says Allen pressured her into an abusive sexual relationship. She says the singer videotaped sexual encounters "to blackmail her to stay silent" and told her that she would lose her job if she reported the abuse. She says that when she told Wide Open Music about the abuse, they dropped Allen as a client—and fired her. Variety says it has seen text messages from people including Allen and Wide Open Music founder Ash Bowers that corroborate parts of the woman's story, as well as messages to friends documenting the abuse over the course of 18 months.
Allen, who split up with his wife last month, called the allegations "deeply troubling and hurtful." In a statement, he said he had a consensual sexual relationship with the former manager and "she never once accused me of any wrongdoing." Allen has been removed from this year's CMAFest lineup, Rolling Stone reports. He has also been suspended "effective immediately" by his label, BBR Music Group said in a statement. (More country music stories.)