A woman has sued ’60s countercultural icon Bob Dylan for alleged instances of sexual abuse of a minor said to have occurred over 50 years ago, according to TMZ, which obtained a copy of the lawsuit.
The tabloid reported on Monday (Aug. 16) that the suit accuses Dylan, the now 80-year-old singer-songwriter whose real name is Robert Zimmerman, of sexually grooming and subsequently abusing her in 1965, when she was just 12 years old. The famous folk and rock musician would have been about 24 at that time.
The accuser, who now lives in Connecticut, says the incident took place in New York City’s storied Hotel Chelsea — a destination known to Dylan fans as the birthplace of several of his songs — after the singer had provided her with alcohol and drugs.
The suit claims that Dylan abused the girl multiple times in April and May of 1965, also alleging he threatened violence against her in order to carry out the abuse. The accuser says she’s suffered from depression, anxiety and humiliation as a result of the alleged abuse.
She’s suing Dylan for battery, assault, infliction of emotional distress and false imprisonment and has requested unspecified damages. As reported by USA Today, a representative for Dylan said the “56-year-old claim is untrue and will be vigorously defended.”
CNN noted the lawsuit was filed a day before the New York Child Victims Act expires on Aug. 14. A lawyer for the accuser, who’s identified as J.C. in the suit and is now 68, said the suit was filed pursuant to the act, and that it gave her “opportunity to seek redress.”
The attorney, Daniel Isaacs, added, “The complaint speaks for itself. We’ll prove all of the allegations in a court of law. The complaint was filed after much research and thorough vetting and there’s no doubt that she was with him at the Hotel Chelsea.”
Bob Dylan began his career in 1960s New York and, in 1965, released two albums now largely considered folk rock classics, Bringing It All Back Home and Highway 61 Revisited.
