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Steven Tyler of Aerosmith seeks dismissal of sex abuse lawsuit
The Industry Mar 31, 2023
Steven Tyler. | Photo courtesy of Gage Skidmore/Flickr (CC BY-SA 2.0)
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Steven Tyler is seeking dismissal of a lawsuit filed by a woman who alleges the Aerosmith frontman had an illicit relationship with her when she was 16 years old and he was 25, saying her claims are barred in whole or in part by consent on her part.
In a seven-page answer to the plaintiff’s allegations filed Tuesday with Torrance Superior Court Judge Gary Y. Tanaka, Tyler’s attorneys state that the plaintiff has not “sustained any injury or loss by reason of any act or omission on the part of (Tyler)” and that the plaintiff is not entitled to any damages from the 75-year-old musician.
“Plaintiff’s claims are barred in whole or in part because (Tyler’s) actions were legitimate, good-faith, justified, nondiscriminatory and/or non-retaliatory,” according to Tyler’s attorneys’ court papers, which further allege that the plaintiff’s claim for punitive damages violates his right to due process.
Tyler’s court papers also state that the plaintiff’s claims are fully or partially barred by alleged consent on her part and that he had at least qualified immunity as her onetime guardian.
In her suit filed Dec. 27, the plaintiff alleges that Tyler convinced the plaintiff’s mother to grant him guardianship over her when she was 16 years old, allowing her to live with him and engage in a sexual relationship. She alleges they were together for about three years beginning in 1973.
The plaintiff became pregnant in 1975, causing Tyler to be simultaneously both the father of the plaintiff’s unborn child and her legal guardian, according to the suit, which further states that the Catholic plaintiff later relented under Tyler’s pressure and had an abortion.
The plaintiff subsequently “made a conscious decision to leave and escape the music and drug-addled world seeking to be free from the sexualized culture created by Tyler and the industry,” according to her suit, which additionally states that she went on to have a family and become active in her faith.
But the plaintiff maintains her life was “shattered” when Tyler released memoirs characterizing his alleged abuses of her as “a romantic, loving relationship” without her knowledge or consent in order to obtain fame and financial benefit for himself and his managers, agents and publishers.
A case management conference in the lawsuit is scheduled July 24.
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