Garth Brooks asks to move sexual assault lawsuit to federal court

Garth Brooks' lawyers have filed a motion to move the sexual assault lawsuit against the country star from state court to federal court.

The lawsuit was originally filed in October in a California superior court, but because plaintiff Jane Roe is seeking more than $75,000 in damages, it falls under federal court rules.

Entertainment tonight reports that the move to federal court could be beneficial for Brooks because those courts typically have quicker trial dates, a more blue-collar jury pool and judges are “more willing to dismiss a case,” said legal expert Tre Lovell AND.

In the graphic lawsuit filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court and obtained by Rolling StoneThe woman – a hair and makeup artist who has worked with the singer – said the first alleged battery occurred while she was at Brooks' home for a styling appointment. She claimed Brooks got out of the shower naked, “grabbed her hands and forced them onto his erect penis,” while explaining that he “had dreamed about that moment and wanted her to perform oral sex on him.”

The woman said a second incident occurred when she agreed to travel to Los Angeles with Brooks for a Grammy tribute to Sam Moore. She claimed Brooks “locked her in a hotel room,” “grabbed her hands and pulled her” onto a bed, where he allegedly raped her.

In response to the lawsuit in October, Brooks claimed he was the victim of extortion and defamation. “For the past two months, I have been harassed endlessly with threats, lies and tragic stories about what my future would look like if I didn't write a multi-million dollar check,” the country singer said in a statement to Rolling Stone. “It was like a loaded gun was being waved in my face.”

Brooks later added in a Facebook Live Q&A: “This thing is going on; it will happen. People tell me it could take up to two years. So I suggest we all take a deep breath, just get comfortable and hold hands and take a journey together. Because it's something we can't talk about. That’s all we can say about it.”