Jimmie Allen’s lawyers have filed a motion to withdraw as the country singer’s legal counsel in his two separate sexual assault cases, but they are facing pushback from one of the Jane Doe plaintiffs.
Last month, Allen’s lawyers Jonathan Cole and Katelyn R. Dwyer filed a motion asking the court to let them withdraw from the case, stating only that Allen has been “unable to comply with the terms of his engagement” (no further details were given). Elizabeth A. Fegan, a lawyer for Allen’s anonymous accuser (who previously served as his day-to-day manager), asked the judge to block that motion, claiming it’s part of a prolonged effort to forestall discovery in the case.
In her response, filed Dec. 29, Fegan said that since November 2022 — when she first contacted Allen and his legal representatives about preserving documents and Jane Doe’s intent to sue — Allen has cycled through three different law firms. All the while, Fegan claimed, he’s failed to “produce the most basic information sought in discovery,” later arguing: “These tactics are part of Allen’s continuing pattern of conduct to forestall Plaintiff’s right to gather discovery to pursue her claim.”
According to Fegan, Cole and Dwyer recently revealed that they had collected some discovery info from Allen, though the “scope of that collection is unclear.” Furthermore, if Cole and Dwyer’s request to withdraw is granted, Fegan noted the departing attorneys said the discovery info “would sit with an unnamed vendor until an unnamed future counsel appeared in the litigation for Allen.”
Fegan asked the judge to deny Cole and Dwyer’s motion “until discovery is completed.” Alternately, she asked that their withdrawal motion only be granted after the lawyers disclosed their discovery sources (and other relevant info), and “produce” the information and documents they’ve collected so far.
According to The Tennessean, which first reported the news, Allen’s rep, Dria Baum, said that the musician “decided it was best for his case to bring in new legal counsel at the top of the year.” Baum did not immediately return Rolling Stone’s request for comment.
Cole and Dwyer also filed a motion to withdraw as Allen’s counsel in the second sexual assault case filed against him. That motion was approved on Dec. 28 without any objections. Fegan is one of the lawyers representing the Jane Doe in that case, too.
Allen, for his part, has denied the allegations against him. He’s also countersued the two Jane Does, accusing them of defamation and stolen property.