The woman accusing Garth Brooks of sexual assault has filed an appeal in her attempt to remain anonymous during the lawsuit against the country music singer. The latest move comes after a Mississippi judge denied a motion from the woman that requested a protective order in the case, allowing her to proceed under a pseudonym in the litigation to keep her name from being made public. The accuser had requested an emergency protective order after the country singer named her in an amended complaint back in October of 2024. If you’re not caught up on the case, it’s actually one of two ongoing lawsuits related to the woman’s allegations that were made in a bombshell lawsuit in California. A few days before Jane Doe filed her lawsuit in California state court, Garth had also filed a lawsuit in Mississippi against his accuser in an attempt to keep her from filing her lawsuit against him. In that lawsuit, which was initially filed under the name John Doe and naming the woman only as “Jane Doe,” Garth asked a court for a judgment declaring her allegations untrue and an injunction preventing her from “further publicizing” her claims against him, and also compensation and punitive damages for the “intentional infliction of emotional distress” and defamation. Garth had asked for permission from the court in Mississippi for both parties to proceed under a pseudonym, which his accuser opposed. But before the court in Mississippi had ruled on his motion, “Jane Roe” filed her lawsuit in California, making her allegations public and exposing Garth as the celebrity in the Mississippi lawsuit. In response to the lawsuit being filed in California, Garth returned to court in Mississippi and withdrew his motion to proceed under a pseudonym, since at this point it was moot anyway. But he also filed an amended complaint which publicly named his accuser, revealing her identity to the public for the first time. Well naturally, her attorneys weren’t happy. The court ordered the case record sealed, meaning that the documents aren’t able to be viewed by the public, and in a motion filed in November of 2024 attorneys for Jane Roe asked the court for the protective order allowing the woman to proceed under a pseudonym (basically, they wanted her to be identified only as “Jane Roe” and not her real name), and also asked the court to impose sanctions on the country singer for what her attorneys called “appalling and malicious behavior.” And it took a while, but in September the court finally ruled, with Judge Henry Wingate denying Jane Roe’s motion for a request to proceed under a pseudonym and also denying her motion to seal the amended complaint filed by Brooks. The court also denied an earlier motion from Garth to file a document under seal. The case file remains sealed at this point, so we’re not able to view the entire order. But after the court ruled against her, the unnamed hairdresser filed a notice of appeal with the court, signaling her intention to appeal the order. And last week, she notified the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, which covers Mississippi, that she planned to appeal the lower court’s order allowing Garth to reveal her name in the suit. In the Notice of Appeal, which is available on the court’s website and has been reviewed by Whiskey Riff, the woman states that she is appealing the part of the order “pertaining to her motions to maintain the confidentiality of her name and proceed using a pseudonym,” though she is not challenging the part of the court’s order related to sanctions against the country star (which were presumably denied). (A quick note her: While her name has been previously revealed in the lawsuit, Whiskey Riff is choosing not to publish her name, at least until the court rules on the issue going forward). What’s Happening In The California Case? Meanwhile, Garth filed early on to have the California case moved from state court to federal court, which was clearly a strategic move on his part, because he then filed a motion to dismiss the case in California and force his accuser to re-file her case as a counterclaim to the lawsuit that was already pending in Mississippi. Garth alleged that the California case was what’s known as a “compulsory counterclaim,” meaning that it arises out of the same set of facts as a lawsuit that has already been filed, and therefore can’t be filed as a separate lawsuit but must be brought up in the case that’s already ongoing – in this case, the case that he filed in Mississippi. The alleged victim, however, claims that Garth only filed the Mississippi case in an attempt to beat her to the courthouse and force her to file her complaint in Mississippi, which he may see as a more favorable court for his case. She argues that because the Mississippi lawsuit was Garth’s attempt at “forum shopping,” her case in California should be allowed to proceed. At the same time, the accuser also filed a motion to dismiss the case in Mississippi. The judge in the California case denied Garth’s motion to dismiss the case without prejudice, meaning that he can re-file that motion at another time. And he also ordered that the California case (remember, this is the case that was filed by the accuser against Garth) be stayed – basically meaning that nothing will happen in the case – until the Mississippi judge rules on the accuser’s motion to dismiss in Garth’s case that he filed against her. What Has Garth Said About The Allegations? It’s been a while since Garth addressed the lawsuit publicly, but after it was filed he warned his fans that they expected the situation to drag on for up to two years. He also issued a statement indicating that he intends to fight to clear his name: “For the last two months, I have been hassled to no end with threats, lies, and tragic tales of what my future would be if I did not write a check for many millions of dollars. It has been like having a loaded gun waved in my face. Hush money, no matter how much or how little, is still hush money. In my mind, that means I am admitting to behavior I am incapable of – ugly acts no human should ever do to another. We filed suit against this person nearly a month ago to speak out against extortion and defamation of character. We filed it anonymously for the sake of families on both sides. I want to play music tonight. I want to continue our good deeds going forward. It breaks my heart these wonderful things are in question now. I trust the system, I do not fear the truth, and I am not the man they have painted me to be.” As always, we’ll keep you updated with anything that happens in the ongoing lawsuit.The post Garth Brooks Accuser Files Appeal In Her Attempt To Remain Anonymous In Sexual Assault Lawsuit first appeared on Whiskey Riff.