Country singer and former American Idol and Dancing with the Stars contestant Jimmie Allen has recently separated from his pregnant wife amid serious allegations from a former employee. A lawsuit filed in federal court in Tennessee accuses Allen of a pattern of sexual abuse and assault while the accuser worked as his day-to-day manager.
The complaint, made public in May, alleges that during the roughly 18 months she worked for Allen’s management company, the woman—identified in court filings as Jane Doe—was raped and repeatedly subjected to sexual harassment and abuse. The filing lays out several incidents the plaintiff says occurred while she was employed in that role.
UPDATE: Following publication of the allegations, Allen’s record label BBR Music Group announced it would suspend its work with him. The label stated it had “decided to suspend all activity with him, effective immediately.” Allen was also removed from the lineup for the upcoming CMA Music Festival.
The lawsuit details two incidents in particular: one tied to an appearance on the Ellen DeGeneres Show in May 2021, and another connected to a trip to Los Angeles when Allen was a guest on American Idol.
Manipulated and groomed
In the 24 hours leading up to his “Ellen” appearance, Allen allegedly assaulted this woman as they traveled together, groping her breasts on the plane, pressing his erect penis against her in public and masturbating in front of her at the hotel where they were both staying, the woman told Variety. Once they left the taping and got into the car, she says he forced his fingers into her vagina while she tried to yank his hand away.
According to the complaint, two months earlier—after an American Idol appearance—the plaintiff says she woke up in a Los Angeles hotel room injured and bleeding with no memory of how she had become that way. She alleges that Allen was beside her and that he insisted she take emergency contraception. She says she later realized she had been sexually assaulted and felt betrayed and violated.
She claims that following a business dinner after the “Idol” taping, she woke up naked in her hotel room in severe pain and bleeding vaginally, having remembered nothing of what happened the night before. She says Allen was laying next to her in bed, and insisted she take a Plan B pill. She realized she had lost her virginity through no choice of her own and felt she had betrayed her faith.
“I was disconnected from my body, feeling a sense of panic,” she tells Variety. Disoriented and confused, she says she remembers Allen saying, “‘I’ve been thinking about this for so long.’” She adds: “He held me in place. At that point, any physical will was just out the door. I was pretty much paralyzed.”
The suit alleges the woman was groomed and manipulated into a sexual relationship that became abusive and coercive over time.
Incident backstage at the Carrie Underwood show
When Allen toured with Carrie Underwood, featured as a special guest on her nationwide “The Denim & Rhinestones Tour,” there was an incident where he allegedly groped Jane Doe in the greenroom at rehearsals. Jane Doe’s friend tells Variety she recalls hearing about this incident.
“I was like, ‘What if Carrie walks in?’ He was like, ‘It doesn’t matter.’ He kept trying to pin me down. I was like, ‘I’m scared,’ and he said, ‘I know, it’s such a turn on,’” she recalls.
The complaint further alleges additional episodes of sexual aggression during business travel and at events, claiming the plaintiff repeatedly said “no” and attempted to push Allen away, only to face continued coercion.
A “consensual” relationship
Allen has denied the allegations and issued a statement saying the sexual relationship was consensual. He described the plaintiff as a close friend and colleague and said he plans to vigorously defend himself and protect his reputation.
“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 said. “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 incidents alleged in the complaint are said to have occurred while Allen was married. At the time of the Ellen appearance, he had publicly discussed his recent wedding, his new child and his desire to set a positive example.
“At no time did our client make a monetary demand”
The plaintiff’s attorney says his client never asked Allen for money. The legal representative states the only request made was to meet and discuss Allen’s conduct and a possible resolution; when those overtures were rebuffed, the attorney says his client filed the complaint to protect herself.
In addition to suing Allen, the plaintiff has named Wide Open Music and its founder Ash Bowers in the lawsuit. The complaint alleges the company failed to protect her and that, after she reported some of the alleged abuse, Wide Open Music ceased representing Allen and the plaintiff was subsequently terminated.
Suing former employer
Wide Open Music and Bowers have disputed the retaliation claim, saying the plaintiff’s role as day-to-day manager ended when the company stopped managing Allen and that the company has since moved away from artist management.
In reporting on the case, news outlets spoke with the plaintiff’s friends and family, and reviewed text messages the plaintiff provided that are said to corroborate portions of her account. The complaint also alleges the defendant videotaped sexual encounters to threaten or silence the plaintiff and required her to surrender personal devices while they were together.
Jane Doe alleges that Allen raped her while choking her, sexually abused her at red lights when she drove him to and from business events and looked at porn on her work computer. Jane Doe tells Variety that she said “no” and tried to push Allen away during many sexual interactions, and after she had been allegedly coerced and forced to have sexual intercourse with Allen, she would regularly bleed, cry uncontrollably and run to the bathroom to vomit. Despite these signs, she says Allen failed to acknowledge her physical and emotional pain.
Allen videotaped multiple sexual encounters “to blackmail her to stay silent,” according to the suit, while she says he insisted Jane Doe surrender her own phone and other electronics when they were together.
The lawsuit brings multiple claims against Allen, including sexual battery, assault, false imprisonment, sex trafficking and emotional distress. Against Wide Open Music and Bowers, the complaint includes counts of gross negligence and participation in a venture allegedly engaged in sex trafficking, among other allegations. The matter is now proceeding through the federal court system as both sides prepare for the legal process ahead.