Trial in Jimmie Allen sexual assault lawsuit delayed after repeated missed deadlines
The trial in country musician Jimmie Allen's civil sexual assault case has been pushed back because his lawyers repeatedly missed court deadlines and failed to file needed documents.
The trial was scheduled to begin June 24 in the federal courthouse in Nashville. U.S. District Judge Aleta Trauger postponed the trial date on May 28.
The woman, who uses the pseudonym Jane Doe in the lawsuit, sued the singer in June 2023 and accused him of sexually assaulting her in a Las Vegas hotel and recording the encounter on his cell phone without her consent. Allen has denied the allegations.
The accuser's attorney Beth Fegan said in an emailed statement Allen has not only delayed the trial but retraumatized her client.
'Each missed deadline and ignored obligation reinforces the imbalance of power she has fought so hard to expose,' Fegan said.
Allen said his former local attorney Alandis Brassel was having health issues and that is why he failed to comply with court orders.
'I have worked as well as I could, as fast as I could with my representation,' Allen said during a phone interview. 'It's not from me not meeting the deadlines, it's because my attorney actually couldn't do it.'
Brassel has since moved out of Tennessee and closed his law practice, according to court filings. Allen confirmed Brassel is no longer representing him. The Tennessean was unable to reach Brassel.
More: Jimmie Allen's lawyers ask to leave sexual abuse case; accuser says he's stalling
Allen has another attorney that lives out of state, but he is currently without a local lawyer — necessary when his primary attorney lives out of state.
Fegan argued Allen is acting in bad faith.
She wrote in a court filing that he has 'made a litany of excuses — from busy schedules to a carousel of counsel' but made no serious argument he could not comply with court orders and deadlines.
Fegan is now asking U.S. District Judge Aleta Trauger to rule in her client's favor as a sanction against Allen.
As examples of why the sanctions are necessary, Fegan pointed to Allen's missed deadlines, failure to produce documents in discovery, the fact his attorney canceled an important event one business day before it was scheduled — costing the plaintiffs nearly $6,000 — and that Allen did not find a new local lawyer in the judge's ordered time frame.
'We are pursuing sanctions and judgment not only to hold Mr. Allen accountable for his conduct in this litigation, but also to prevent him from continuing to manipulate the legal process to his advantage,' Fegan wrote in the emailed statement.
Allen's failure to meet deadlines has already hurt his case before.
Shortly after the woman in this case sued him, Allen countersued her. That case depended on him providing his cell phone he used to record the sexual encounter. When he failed to produce that phone to the court, Trauger tossed his countersuit in December.
Allen said he is looking forward to progressing the case.
'The truth to this case is what I'm mostly looking forward to being shown,' he said.
Fegan said she will continue to fight for her client in court.
'Jane Doe has shown immense strength in standing up for herself, and we will continue to fight for her right to a timely and fair resolution,' Fegan said.
A separate lawsuit by Allen's former day-to-day manager accusing him of sexual assault was settled and dropped in March. She had alleged that Allen sexually abused, harassed and raped her.
Nearly immediately after the allegations were publicized, Allen's label BBR Music Group dropped him and United Talent Agency stopped representing him, while CMA Fest removed Allen from its lineup.
Have questions about the justice system? Evan Mealins is the justice reporter for The Tennessean. Contact him with questions, tips or story ideas at emealins@tennessean.com.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Trial in singer Jimmie Allen sexual assault lawsuit delayed
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