Steven Tyler Heading to Trial for Sexual Assault Case After Judge Dismisses Much of Lawsuit

A judge has dismissed most of a child sexual assault case against Steven Tyler stemming from an apparent relationship the Aerosmith singer had with a teenage girl when he was in his twenties. However, the case will still go to trial on one remaining aspect of the lawsuit.

Tyler had been accused in a lawsuit of grooming and impregnating a then 16-year-old Julia Holcomb (now Julia Misley) in the 1970s, a relationship the singer apparently wrote about in his own 2011 memoir. Judge Patricia A. Young ruled that much of the lawsuit was related to the pair’s three-year relationship in Massachusetts, where the statute of limitations has already expired.

“Plaintiff’s suit was filed more than 35 years after the alleged acts and more than 35 years after she turned 18,” Judge Young wrote, according to Billboard. “To be timely, this suit must have been filed within seven years.”

As the Los Angeles Times reports, the case will still head to trial because, at one point Tyler brought Misley to California, where a time limit does not apply due to the California’s Child Victims Act, which was enacted in 2020 and allows a ‘lookback window’ in which alleged victims can file lawsuits despite a statute of limitations.

Judge Young further noted, “The parties travelled to California on one occasion and engaged in sexual relations here during that trip. The age of consent in California is, and was at all relevant times, 18. Thus, it was against the law for plaintiff and defendant to engage in sexual relations with each other in California because plaintiff was legally incapable of consenting.”

The Aerosmith frontman’s lawyer David Long-Daniels declared, “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. The court has decided that only one night, fifty-plus years ago, out of a three year relationship is allowed to remain. We look forward to trying this case on August 31.”

Meanwhile, Misley’s attorney Jeff Anderson stated, “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,”

In his book, Tyler wrote about getting an unnamed teenager’s parents to sign over legal guardianship to him in 1974 so he can take her on the road with him on Aerosmith’s tours. In her lawsuit, Misley claimed that she was the unnamed teen mentioned in Tyler’s memoir. The suit also alleged that Misley became pregnant by Tyler, and was “pressured” into having an abortion.

As stated by Tyler’s lawyer above, the case is scheduled to go to trial on August 31st.