Steven Tyler denies claim he sexually assaulted minor
Dominic Smithers
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Steven Tyler has denied sexually assaulting a teen.
Earlier this year, the Aerosmith frontman was named in a lawsuit filed by Julia Holcomb, whose current name is Julie Misley.
In it, she alleged that she met Tyler just after her 16th birthday, when his band played a concert in Portland, Oregon, in 1973.
At the time, Tyler would have been 25, and Misley claims that he brought her back to his hotel, where he 'performed various acts of criminal sexual conduct' before sending her home in a taxi the next morning.
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The plaintiff also alleged that Tyler later convinced her mother to grant him guardianship over her, and the pair began a sexual relationship with one another.
Misley said she felt 'powerless to resist' the singer's 'power, fame and substantial financial ability', and that the singer 'coerced and persuaded' her into thinking they were having a 'romantic love affair'.
Misley claims she became pregnant with Tyler’s son in 1975, but he encouraged her to have an abortion.
After the procedure, she says she left the singer and returned home to Portland, where where she became a devout Catholic and met her husband.
Tyler has been accused of sexual assault, sexual battery, and intentional infliction of emotional distress in the lawsuit.
The allegations come after California temporarily waived statutes of limitations for childhood sexual abuse allegations.
However, in documents filed with the court, Tyler's attorney Shawn Holley says his client denies all charges put against him.
Among his defenses, Tyler claims that Misley's allegations 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'.
Tyler also claims that the plaintiff has 'not suffered any injury or damage as a result of any action by Defendant', and that even if she had, 'any such damages were not caused by Defendant'.
Though he did not name Misley, Tyler previously wrote in his memoir about how he 'almost took a teen bride'.
The 75-year-old said: "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."
UNILAD has reached out to representatives for Tyler for a comment.
If you have been affected by any of the issues in this article and wish to speak to someone in confidence, contact The Survivor’s Trust for free on 08088 010 818, or through their website thesurvivorstrust.org