Steven Victor Tallarico, known professionally as Steven Tyler, has denied having a non-consensual relationship with a minor in the ’70s.
The Aerosmith frontman has been involved in the legal battle since December 2022 when a woman who publicly identified as Julia Misley named him in the lawsuit. Misley accused Tyler of sexual assault and battery, intentionally inflicting emotional distress on her as a teenager.
She filed the suit just days before the December 31 deadline for California’s Child Victims Act, which removed the statute of limitations on reporting childhood sexual abuse crimes.
Steven Tyler Asks Court To Dismiss Sexual Assault Lawsuit Against Him
Several months after getting accused by Misley in the legal filing, Tyler has rejected the allegations in a lengthy response, asking for the case to be dismissed. The American Music Awards winner argued in his statement that the plaintiff consented to their sexual relationship, claiming he had immunity as he was her legal guardian at the time of the affair.
In the docs obtained by PEOPLE, the “I Don’t Want To Miss A Thing” hitmaker partly alleged that Misley “has not suffered any injury or damage as a result of any action by Defendant.” He added that if she “has been damaged, then any such damages were not caused by Defendant.”
Furthermore, the plaintiff’s lawyers claimed that the rocker was “gaslighting” their client and the court with his rebuttal. The outlet noted that even though the original filing did not outrightly name Tyler, the details did corroborate the details he shared in his 2011 book “Does the Noise in My Head Bother You?” about a relationship he had with a 16-year-old girl.
Expounding the book, The Blast pointed out that the rock star had referred to the affair as “involuntary infamy” while noting that it was a “romantic, loving relationship.” He also seemingly bragged that the girl’s “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.”
In her docs, Misley admitted that Tyler was aware of how his “fame” and “power” influenced her at a time when she was “powerless to resist.” She also claims in the lawsuit that Tyler “coerced and persuaded” her into believing that what they shared was a “romantic love affair.”
The duo had met when the then-teenager attended one of the “Sweet Emotion” singer’s concerts held in Portland, Oregon, in 1973. She was subsequently invited to the celebrated Demon of Screamin’s hotel room, where she reportedly told him her age.
When asked why she was alone at the show, Misley opened up about coming from a troubling home life, a revelation that the now 75-year-old vocalist used as an opportunity to “perform[ing] various acts of criminal sexual conduct upon” her.
The affair continued with Tyler allegedly flying the teen out to Seattle, engaging in more sexual acts with Misley before sending her home the following day. She eventually became pregnant in 1975 at age 17, with the “Dream On” singer pushing her into aborting it.
He had used the excuse of an apartment fire to trick the young girl into thinking that the smoke inhalation and lack of oxygen she suffered made her baby sick. She reacted by flying back to Portland and never speaking to him.
The Danish Grammy Award Winner’s Band Cancels Concerts Due To His Health Condition
As reported by The Blast, Aerosmith had been forced to cancel one of their shows last December due to Tyler’s health problems. The music band — consisting of Joe Perry, Joey Kramer, Tom Hamilton, and Brad Whitford — shared via their Instagram page that:
“It is with great disappointment that we are forced to cancel tonight’s show in Las Vegas due to Steven feeling unwell and unable to perform.”
They clarified that they expected the lead man to fully recover ahead of their next concert, adding an apology to their fanbase for the unexpected, last-minute announcement. The band had previously canceled their summer tour after Tyler, a known alcoholic, returned to the bottle. At the time, they had written:
“After foot surgery to prepare for the stage and the necessity of pain management during the process, he has recently relapsed and voluntarily entered a treatment program to concentrate on his health and recovery.”
The statement also included an apology and information on where fans could get refunds for already purchased tickets.
