Steven Tyler Accused of Sexual Assault and Battery of a Minor in New Lawsuit
- Oops!Something went wrong.Please try again later.
Jason LaVeris/FilmMagic Steven Tyler
A woman who allegedly had a sexual relationship with Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler when she was a teen in the 1970s has filed a lawsuit for sexual assault, sexual battery, and intentional infliction of emotional distress.
Julia Misley, formerly known as Julia Holcomb, filed the lawsuit just days before the Dec. 31 deadline for California's Child Victims Act, which lifted the statute of limitations on reporting childhood sexual abuse crimes.
PEOPLE obtained a copy of the lawsuit which does not identify Tyler by name, but whose allegations align with comments the rocker has made publicly in his 2011 memoir Does the Noise in My Head Bother You? about a relationship with an unnamed 16-year-old girl. Misley later named Tyler directly in a statement released following the filing of the complaint.
A representative for Tyler did not return PEOPLE's request for comment.
In the lawsuit, Misley — who "directly quotes" from Tyler's memoir — alleges that Tyler was able to convince her mother to grant guardianship over her when she was 16 years old, which provided a means for the star to allegedly have a sexual relationship with her. She alleges that she was "powerless to resist" Tyler, who had "power, fame and substantial financial ability."
RELATED: Steven Tyler Enters Treatment: What the Aerosmith Frontman Has Said About Addiction and Sobriety
In the memoir, which does not name Misley, Tyler wrote that he "almost took a teen bride" because "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 the two met after she attended an Aerosmith concert in 1973. According to the lawsuit, Tyler allegedly took the teenager back to his hotel room where he "performed various acts of criminal sexual conduct upon" her.
Shortly after the encounter, Misley claims that Tyler arranged for her to fly across state lines to meet him at another tour stop. She says their relationship continued after the star was able to convince Misley's parents to grant custody, provided that he would enroll her in school and give her access to medical care.
But Tyler "did not meaningfully follow through on these promises and instead continued to travel with, assault and provide alcohol and drugs to Plaintiff," according to the complaint.
Deborah Feingold/Getty Steven Tyler
When Misley became pregnant in 1975, she claimed Tyler convinced her to obtain an abortion, telling her that a recent apartment fire would have harmed the baby due to smoke inhalation and a lack of oxygen. A medical professional told Misley that the baby was likely unharmed, the complaint alleged.
Misley says she eventually left Tyler and returned home to Portland after the abortion, married, and became a devout Catholic.
She has since shared her story on the "far-right, anti-abortion website Lifesitenews," and other platforms including Tucker Carlson's show on Fox News and the anti-abortion website Lifesitenews, Rolling Stone reported. She also referenced the claims in the 2021 documentary Look Away.
In a statement released by her attorneys Wednesday, Misley expounded on her decision to file a complaint at this time.
"My name is Julia Misley, formerly Julia Holcomb. I am making this statement because, at the age of 65, I have discovered that through a recent change in the law, I have a new opportunity to take legal action against those that abused me in my youth. I want this action to expose an industry that protects celebrity offenders, to cleanse and hold accountable an industry that both exploited and allowed me to be exploited for years, along with so many other naïve and vulnerable kids and adults," she wrote.
"Because I know that I am not the only one who suffered abuse in the music industry, I feel it is time for me to take this stand and bring this action, to speak up and stand in solidarity with the other survivors. I hope that from this action, we can make the music industry safer, expose the predators in it, and expose those forces in the industry that have both enabled and created a culture of permissiveness and self-protection of themselves and the celebrity offenders among them."
She continued, "The complaint that has been prepared by my legal team recites in legal terms the trajectory of my life from early struggles to exploitation by Steven Tyler, the music industry, my escape from that world, my recovery and transformation, my restoration of spirit through faith, the building of a family and the rebuilding of my life. The complaint also recites how Tyler, for profit and more fame, retraumatized me and my family. I am grateful for this new opportunity to take action and be heard."
"My own recovery came through my Catholic faith. For years, I have watched Jeff Anderson and his firm make a difference in creating a safer place in the Roman Catholic Church and in faith communities across this country. I have been able to see how things within the Church have improved because of those legal efforts," she wrote. "I recently learned that the law in California opened a window of opportunity for me and other survivors to bring action and to have our voices heard in a way we hadn't before and that led me to Jeff Anderson and his team. I believe that together we can make a difference, my voice can be heard and become a part of the cleansing of an industry that needs to be both exposed and held accountable."
Misley concluded, "I am publicly releasing this statement with the intention of making no further statements or interviews."
If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, please contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or go to rainn.org.
