NASHVILLE, Tenn. - A federal judge has ordered Delaware native and country music star Jimmie Allen to pay nearly $1.8 million to a woman who accused him of sexual assault in a lawsuit first reported in 2023, according to court documents obtained by WBOC.
U.S. District Judge Aleta Trauger entered the order June 18, awarding the plaintiff, identified in court records as Jane Doe 2, a total of $1,790,541 in compensatory and punitive damages after adopting a magistrate judge's recommendation.
The judgment includes $596,847 in compensatory damages for emotional distress, past treatment expenses, and future treatment costs, along with $1,193,694 in punitive damages against Allen. The court also awarded post-judgment interest.
The lawsuit stems from allegations that the woman met Allen in 2022 before traveling to Las Vegas, where she says Allen secretly recorded a sexual encounter without her consent and ignored her request to use a condom. She sued Allen in June 2023, alleging battery, assault, invasion of privacy, and intentional infliction of emotional distress.
WBOC previously reported on the lawsuit when it was filed. At the time, Allen denied the allegations through his attorney, who maintained the encounter was consensual. A prior lawsuit had also been filed against Allen by his former manager for alleged sexual abuse, though that suit was later dropped.
Allen, a Milton native, rose to national prominence with multiple country music hits before his former record label suspended and later ended its relationship with him following the allegations.
According to the magistrate judge's report, Allen and his company initially answered the lawsuit and denied many of the allegations. However, the court later entered a default judgment after Allen and his company failed to comply with multiple court case management and discovery orders and did not respond to the plaintiff's motion for sanctions. They also did not respond to the plaintiff's later motion seeking damages.
In recommending damages, the magistrate judge wrote that evidence submitted by the plaintiff showed Allen's alleged conduct caused significant emotional trauma requiring counseling and future treatment. The report also found punitive damages were warranted based on the nature of the allegations, while declining to recommend punitive damages against Allen's touring company.
Court records show no objections were filed to the magistrate judge's recommendation before the district judge adopted it and entered the final judgment.
