Aerosmith’s Steven Tyler Accused of Sexually Abusing Minor

Steven Tyler, the lead singer of the American rock band Aerosmith, has been accused of sexually assaulting an underage girl in the mid-1970s.

The accusations were leveled against Tyler by an alleged ex-girlfriend, Julia Holcomb. She claims that Tyler sexually abused her when she was sixteen years old.

According to Rolling Stone magazine, which obtained the lawsuit file, it does not directly name Tyler. The defendant is instead referred to as “defendant Doe.” However, it does directly quote Tyler’s own memoir, which appears to corroborate with claims made by the plaintiff.

The lawsuit against Tyler

Holcomb has reportedly accused Tyler of sexual assault, sexual battery, and intentional infliction of emotional distress. According to the plaintiff, Holcomb’s mother was convinced by Tyler to grant him guardianship over her when she was sixteen, which allowed her to live with him and subsequently engage in a sexual relationship.

The relationship allegedly began in 1973 and lasted for about three years. Holcomb claims that Tyler was twenty-five when they first met during an Aerosmith gig in Portland, Oregon. She also says that the rock singer then took her back to a hotel room, where they discussed her age before he committed “various acts of criminal sexual conduct upon her.”

The lawsuit further alleges that Tyler failed in his responsibilities as Holcomb’s legal guardian. According to the legal claim, Tyler “did not meaningfully follow through on these promises and instead continued to travel with, assault and provide alcohol and drugs to Plaintiff.”

Tyler’s memoir

Extracts from Tyler’s memoirs were cited in the lawsuit. In one passage of Tyler’s memoir, Does the Noise in My Head Bother You? the singer wrote that he “almost took a teen bride” and 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.”

“With my bad self being twenty-six and she barely old enough to drive and sexy as hell, I just fell madly in love with her,” Tyler also wrote. “She was a cute skinny little tomboy dressed up as Little Bo Peep. She was my heart’s desire, my partner in crimes of passion.”

Holcomb also claims that the defendant impregnated her in 1975 when she was seventeen. The pregnancy ended in an abortion, however, upon Tyler’s insistence following an apartment fire.

Holcomb left Tyler after the abortion. She relocated to Portland to restart her life and tried to forget her relationship with Tyler until he wrote about it in his book.

Legal consequences

The lawsuit was filed under California’s Child Victims Act. The act created a three-year window for filing civil suits over child sexual abuse claims. This window expires on December 31, 2022.

Californian law stipulates that the victim must have been under the age of eighteen when the abuse occurred.

If Tyler is convicted of sexual crimes against a minor, he will be registered as a sex offender and could face prison time. Tyler’s representatives have not offered any comments on the allegations.