A child sexual assault lawsuit against Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler will move forward in part, with a trial set for August in Los Angeles County Superior Court.
The case stems from allegations by Julia Misley, who claims Tyler groomed, sexually assaulted, and impregnated her when she was 16 in the 1970s. The lawsuit, first filed in 2022, alleges Tyler “used his role, status, and power as a well-known musician and rock star” to exploit her. It also cites Tyler’s 2011 memoir, “Does the Noise in My Head Bother You?,” in which he refers to her as his “teen bride.”
According to the complaint, he described the nature of the relationship in his 2011 memoir, writing, “She was 16, she knew how to nasty … with my bad self being twenty-six and she barely old enough to drive and sexy as hell, I just fell madly in love with her. … She was my heart’s desire, my partner in crimes of passion. … I was so in love I almost took a teen bride. I went and slept at her parent’s house for a couple of nights and her parent’s fell in love with me, signed paper over for me to have custody, so I wouldn’t get arrested if I took her out of state. I took her on tour with me.”
Tyler has denied the allegations.
Earlier this week, a judge dismissed the majority of the claims, citing the statute of limitations in Massachusetts, where much of the relationship allegedly took place. However, the lawsuit contends that Tyler and Misley traveled across state lines during his time on tour, including to California.
Under California’s Child Victims Act, which created a temporary “lookback window” allowing certain expired claims to be revived, a portion of the case tied to alleged conduct in California will proceed.
“This is a massive win for Steven Tyler. Today, the Court has dismissed with prejudice 99.9% of the claims against Mr. Tyler in this case,” Tyler’s attorney, David Long-Daniels, said in a statement to The Times. “The court has decided that only one night, 50-plus years ago, out of a three-year relationship is allowed to remain.”
Misley’s legal team described the ruling differently, emphasizing that the case will still be heard by a jury.
“This reflects years of resilience and courage by Ms. Misley, driven by an unwavering pursuit of truth and justice. It is time for justice and for Tyler to be held accountable by a jury,” her attorney, Jeff Anderson, said.
According to the lawsuit, Misley first met Tyler at an Aerosmith concert in 1973, where he allegedly “performed various acts of criminal sexual conduct upon Plaintiff that night.” At the time, Tyler was in his mid-20s.
The complaint further alleges that Tyler later became Misley’s legal guardian in 1974 and took her on tour with the band. It also claims she became pregnant and underwent a “pressured” abortion.
The case comes amid broader use of legal “lookback window” statutes, including in New York, where similar provisions were recently used by singer Casandra “Cassie” Ventura in a lawsuit against Sean Combs filed shortly before that window expired.
The trial is scheduled to begin in August.
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