Steven Tyler, the lead singer of Aerosmith, has been officially named in a lawsuit alleging he sexually molested a girl and forced her to have an abortion when he was 25 years old.
Steven Tyler Is Defendant Doe
Tyler, now 74, is accused of molesting victim Julia Misley - formerly known as Holcomb - over a period of three years commencing when she was 16.
In early court records, Tyler's identity was kept hidden and he was referred to as "Defendant Doe." However, media were able to confirm that it was Tyler because the complaint quoted directly from his 2011 memoir, in which he details a relationship with a minor.
The matter first came to light in December but on Wednesday Tyler was formally identified in court records viewed by Entertainment Weekly.
Misley claims that the musician exploited his celebrity and prominence to court, control, abuse, and sexually assault her.
After acquiring guardianship from her mother so he could take her on tour with him, she claims he drugged her.
Misley, who is now 65 years old, is demanding undisclosed compensation and a trial.
In his autobiography titled "Does the Noise in My Head Bother You? Tyler said that he 'nearly took a teenage bride' after falling in love with a woman named by Holcomb to be her.
She was sixteen, she understood how to be cruel, and she had no hair, he wrote in the book, which referred to the girl as "Diana."
Another excerpt reads of him having stayed at her parents' home for a couple of nights, and they fell in love with him and signed documents granting him custody, so he wouldn't be jailed if I took her out of state. He took her with him on tour.
Misley stated that the release had "retraumatized" her and her family.
Misley stated in a statement, "I am happy for this new opportunity to take action and be heard."
Misley met Tyler in 1973 after attending an Aerosmith concert in Oregon, according to the complaint.
She was thereafter invited backstage and to Tyler's hotel room, where she alleges he sexually abused her.
He is then said to have flown her to a Seattle Aerosmith event where he abused her again.
Tyler visited with Misley's mother the following year and persuaded her to hand up guardianship of her daughter to him.
He is accused of providing the adolescent with drink and narcotics while on the road.
Molesting a Minor; Forcing Abortion?
In addition, he is accused of impregnating Misley and pressuring her to get an abortion.
Misley alleged she has experienced emotional injury as a result of Tyler discussing the relationship so openly.
She was mentioned in a Rolling Stone profile of Aerosmith from 1976.
She believes the memoir presented the abuse as a 'romantic, loving relationship,' states the complaint.
She added in a statement that she wanted this action to expose an industry that protects famous abusers, to cleanse and hold accountable an industry that both exploited and allowed me to be exploited for years, along with so many other naive and defenseless children and adults.
Jeff Anderson, Misley's attorney, continued that this industry and these defendants have tolerated, sheltered, and profited from extreme violence for decades.
The time has come to face the music, even if he's "sick."
It can be recalled that Aerosmith have been forced to cancel their whole "Deuces Are Wild" residency in Las Vegas for the month of December due to Steven Tyler's unexplained health difficulties. The band initially canceled the December 2nd and 5th gigs separately before canceling all December performances, including tonight (December 8) and Sunday (December 11th). After Tyler's stint in treatment forced the cancellation of their June and July gigs in Las Vegas earlier this year, the residency resumed in September.
