Steven Tyler Sued for Sexual Assault by Woman Who Says She Was 16 at the Time
A woman who says she had a sexual relationship with Steven Tyler in 1973 when she was 16 has filed a lawsuit against the Aerosmith frontman. Rolling Stone reports that plaintiff Julia Holcomb filed the suit under the California Child Victims Act, which temporarily lifted the statute of limitations for survivors of childhood abuse. Holcomb accuses Tyler of sexual assault, sexual battery and intentional infliction of emotional distress.
Tyler is not named in the lawsuit, but Holcomb has spoken publicly about what she said were her experiences with Tyler, who was 25 at the time. For his part, Tyler wrote in his memoir that he "almost took a teen bride" whose 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."
Holcomb alleges that Tyler gave her drugs and alcohol, had sex with her and took her on tour with him – but she tells that part of the story a bit differently, alleging that Tyler convinced her mother to grant him guardianship over her. She says she became pregnant with his child at age 17 and that he convinced her to have an abortion.
Holcomb says in the lawsuit that she was "powerless to resist" Tyler's "power, fame and substantial financial ability," and that Tyler "coerced and persuaded Plaintiff into believing this was a 'romantic love affair.'" She alleges that she met him just after her 16th birthday after an Aerosmith concert in Portland, Oregon in 1973. According to the suit, Tyler took Holcomb back to his hotel room, where they discussed her age. After he allegedly asked why she was out all night by herself, they talked about her troubles at home. He then "performed various acts of criminal sexual conduct" upon her before sending her home in a taxi the next morning, the lawsuit states.
After that, he allegedly bought her a plane ticket to his next show in Seattle, where he performed more sexual acts on her and flew her home to Portland the next day. By 1974, he allegedly became her guardian, which allowed her to travel more easily with him. He allegedly promised to take care of her, enroll her in school and give her medical care. He "did not meaningfully follow through on these promises and instead continued to travel with, assault and provide alcohol and drugs to Plaintiff," the suit claims.
After Holcomb allegedly got pregnant with Tyler's son in 1975 when she was 17, he allegedly insisted she terminate the pregnancy following an apartment fire, citing smoke inhalation and lack of oxygen to the baby. Holcomb claims a medical professional told her the unborn baby was not harmed by the fire. After the abortion, she allegedly went back to Portland, became a devout Catholic, met her husband and buried her experiences with Tyler until he wrote about them in his book, which was published in 1997.
If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, you can contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or go to rainn.org.