Aerosmith‘s Steven Tyler has denied that he sexually assaulted a minor, with the rocker’s lawyers logging a new legal filing that claims the relationship in question, now at the crux of a lawsuit, was consensual.
As reported earlier this year, Tyler was named in the suit after previously being only identified anonymously. The court approved naming him in February.
The suit accuses the singer of sexual assault, sexual battery and infliction of emotional distress against a woman named Julia Misley, formerly Julia Holcomb, amid a relationship between the pair in the ’70s.
But Tyler has now requested the suit’s dismissal and, in the new filing, claims Misley “has not suffered any injury or damage as a result of any action” by him, according to an updated report from Rolling Stone.
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In addition to asserting their relationship was consensual, Tyler also claims he had immunity as her legal guardian when the allegations occurred, using a portion of her own claims against her.
Steven Tyler Sexual Assault Accusations
In her lawsuit, Misley references Tyler’s memoirs, in which he writes he “almost took a teen bride,” adding that “her parents fell in love with me, signed a 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.”
Misley says she felt “powerless to resist” the rocker and was “coerced and persuaded” into believing it was a romantic affair. She claims Tyler “performed various acts of criminal sexual conduct upon her.”
Allegedly, a deal struck with Misley’s family granted Tyler guardianship. Holcomb also claims she got pregnant with Tyler’s son when she was 17 but had an abortion at the singer’s insistence.
Tyler’s response, issued by attorney Shawn Holley, presents 24 affirmative defenses denying all the allegations. Among them, Tyler alleges Misley’s “claims are barred in whole or in part by Plaintiff’s consent” and “because of immunity or qualified immunity to Defendant as caregiver and/or guardian.”
Help is available if you or someone you know has experienced sexual assault. Chat with RAINN on their online hotline or call 1-800-656-HOPE (1-800-656-4673).
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