Lawsuit accuses Jimmie Allen of sexual assault

A former member of country star Jimmie Allen's management team accused him of sexual abuse and harassment in a lawsuit filed Thursday in federal court.

• The lawsuit also accuses the woman's former employer Wide Open Music and its founder of failing to protect her.

State of play: The woman worked on Allen's management team from 2020-2022, according to the lawsuit. The lawsuit states Allen "used his power over" the woman's job to "sexually harass and abuse her" for 18 months.

• The woman is identified as Jane Doe in the lawsuit.
• Allen's label BBR Music Group suspended him after the lawsuit became public, per Billboard.
• Allen was also ousted from his role as Friday's commencement speaker at Delaware State University.

The latest: Allen denied the allegations in a statement to Variety and said he had a consensual sexual relationship with the woman.

• ​​"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 in the statement.
• "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."

Wide Open Music's founder told Variety the company "immediately ended our professional relationship with Mr. Allen" when the woman reported the allegations in October 2022.

Zoom out: Allen has emerged as a rising star in recent years. He's notched multiple No. 1 hits at country radio and won the Country Music Association award for new artist of the year in 2021.

Go deeper: Read more about the accusations in Variety