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Lindsay Ell, Ex-Labelmate of Jimmie Allen, Says She Stands With Woman Accusing Him of Sexual Assault

Shania Twain 'Queen of Me' Global Tour Opener - Spokane, WA - Credit: Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for Live Nation
Shania Twain 'Queen of Me' Global Tour Opener - Spokane, WA - Credit: Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for Live Nation

Lindsay Ell appeared on the song “Tequila Talkin'” with Jimmie Allen last year. Now, the singer-guitarist is speaking out on allegations of sexual assault made against Allen by his former manager. In a new interview with Taste of Country, Ell, who was signed to Allen’s label home BBR Music Group, said she supports the woman who is currently suing Allen over claims of sexual battery, assault, and false imprisonment. (The allegations against Allen were originally reported in an article by Variety.)

“I stand behind Jane Doe, as she is referred to in that article, in feeling like coming forward was what she needed to do, and sharing her story,” Ell said. “I hope it gives other survivors out there — whether they seek help or not — I hope it helps them through it.”

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Ell, who is currently on tour opening for Shania Twain, is herself a survivor of sexual assault. In a 2020 interview, she said that she had been raped when she was 13 and 21 and wrote about the trauma in her song “Make You.”

Allen’s former management company is also named in the lawsuit, brought by a Jane Doe plaintiff — Allen’s onetime day-to-day manager — that accuses Allen of assault and sexual abuse over a period of 18 months.

“It’s so easy for an organization, like, even a management company, to be like, ‘Don’t worry about it. It’s not that big of a deal,’” Ell told Taste of Country. “It’s easy to brush something off that is actually a very big deal.

“If a company hears that something may be going on,” Ell continued, “I hope we can create a culture and a society and an environment where that is not OK, and not tolerated. The minute that somebody is, even a little bit, like, ‘Something needs to be done about this,’ [the response shouldn’t be], ‘We’re gonna sweep it under the rug.’”

In a statement to Rolling Stone from Allen provided by his lawyer, he denied the allegations against him: “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. I acknowledge that we had a sexual relationship — one that lasted for nearly two years,” Allen said, going on to question the motives of his accuser and calling the allegations “not only false, but also extremely damaging.”

Since the lawsuit was made public, Allen was removed from performing at June’s CMA Fest in Nashville and was suspended by his label, booking agency, and most recent manager. In a statement posted to social media on May 18, Allen, who is married, apologized to his wife for “humiliating her with my affair.” In another post just this week, he shared a snippet of a seemingly new song he recorded.

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