by The country singer, who split from his pregnant wife in April, filed two counterclaims on Thursday against women who sued him for sexual assault
Jimmie Allen and his pregnant wife Alexis are putting up a united front months after filing for divorce.
The country singer — who on Thursday filed two counterclaims against women accusing him of sexual assault and abuse — tells PEOPLE that he and Alexis are working on their future as a team, despite announcing their separation in April.
“The divorce case is still pending as my wife and I are working to work things out together as a family,” he says.
Allen, 38, also clarified a statement he made earlier on Thursday, saying he had waited several months before publicly responding to the two lawsuits against him because he “wanted to restore my family first”.
“What I meant by ‘fix my family first’ was to make sure their mental health and stability are okay in the face of these hurtful, false allegations,” he says. “I took some time off to be with my wife, kids and friends, to make sure everyone was okay.”
Jimmie Allen attends the 2019 CMA Awards in Nashville.” src=”https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/Vx7ovcYm4kBHsAbWTsYADA–/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTY0MQ–/https://media.zenfs.com/en/people_218/f3f9695a34076679a3265cddf343ccda” class=”caas-img”/>
John Shearer/WireImage
Jimmie Allen attends the 2019 CMA Awards in Nashville.
Related: Jimmie Allen Files Countersuit Against His Sexual Assault Accusers In An Effort To ‘Protect’ His ‘Reputation’
Neither Alexis nor her attorneys immediately responded to PEOPLE’s request for comment.
Allen and Alexis, 27, married in June 2020 and are parents to daughters Zara James, 21 months, and Naomi Bettie, 3. They announced their separation on April 21, while also sharing the news that they had another baby on the way .
The “Down Home” singer filed for divorce on April 28, and Alexis followed suit with her own filing two hours later, according to documents obtained by PEOPLE. Both cited irreconcilable differences. Allen has since filed a motion to consolidate both files into one case, though a June 1 hearing on the case was postponed indefinitely.
Since their split, the two have remained friendly online, and in June, Alexis liked a since-deleted Instagram photo of Allen playing in a pool with their daughters.
Allen also issued a public apology to Alexis in May, writing on social media that he was sorry to “humiliate her with my affair. I’m ashamed that my choices have disgraced her. She didn’t deserve that at all.”
News of the couple’s divorce proceedings came on the same day Allen was charged with assault and sexual assault by his former manager. The woman, who filed anonymously, accused the star of raping her, groping her breasts, pushing his erect penis against her in public, masturbating in front of her in a hotel and forcing his fingers into her vagina in 2021 – all he has done denied.
Related: Jimmie Allen’s estranged pregnant wife reacts to new photo of singer with their daughters
Weeks after, a second woman sued Allen for sexual assault, claiming that he filmed their sexual encounter without consent and continued to have unprotected sex with her after she revoked her previously given consent. PEOPLE confirmed that she later filed a report with the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police.
Allen, who was ousted by his label, his agency and his former ad agency, has denied all allegations against him and on Thursday filed two counterclaims accusing Jane Doe 1 of defamation and Jane Doe 2 of illegally stealing his mobile phone.
“This situation has caused me great humiliation and I felt it was necessary to seek professional help,” he said. allegations have not only harmed me, but have caused serious financial damage to my band, my team and their families.”
Related: Jimmie Allen dropped by record label after second sexual assault lawsuit
Allen added that he was “looking forward to the opportunity to clear my name”. “My team and I are looking forward to putting this behind us and getting back to music,” he said.
Beth Fegan, an attorney representing both plaintiffs, told PEOPLE in a statement that Allen’s counterclaims “are what we would expect — claims that all of his meetings with Jane Doe 1 and Jane Doe 2 were consensual.”
“We would like to show the court abundant evidence to the contrary, which we believe wil
l prove that Jimmie Allen is a serial abuser and should be held accountable for his actions,” she said. “It is becoming increasingly common for perpetrators to contradict their victims and claim defamation. This is a worrying trend, one designed to convince victims that if they speak up, they will be the target of false lawsuits.”
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