A Los Angeles court has determined a child sexual assault case filed against Aerosmith frontman, Steven Tyler, will proceed to trial.
The singer is accused of grooming, sexually assaulting and impregnating a 16-year-old Julia Misley in the 1970s. The suit, first filed in 2022 in Torrance, claims he “used his role, status, and power as a well-known musician and rock star” to exploit Misley. The complaint also argues Tyler admitted to the alleged crimes in his own memoir, “Does the Noise in My Head Bother You?” where he refers to her as his “teen bride.”
Earlier this week, a judge dismissed most of the case, citing the statute of limitations in Massachusetts, where the pair lived during their three-year relationship. But they allegedly crossed state lines while Tyler toured the country with his band, including to California. Because of California’s Child Victims Act – a 2020 statute that allowed a “lookback window” where alleged victims can file lawsuits regardless of a statute of limitations – a portion of the case will still be tried.
“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 lawyer David Long-Daniels said in a statement to Billboard. “The court has decided that only one night, fifty-plus years ago, out of a three-year relationship is allowed to remain.”
New York has a similar statute that was recently employed by singer Casandra “Cassie” Ventura, in her case against Sean Combs. She filed a sex-trafficking and sexual assault lawsuit against the music mogul in 2023, in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, just days before the expiration of a “lookback window.”
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