Steven Tyler has been accused of sexual assault, sexual battery and intentional infliction of emotional distress of a minor in a new lawsuit, which also alleges that he forced said minor to get an abortion.
The plaintiff, Julia Holcomb, alleged in the court documents obtained Thursday by Rolling Stone that she began a sexual relationship with the Aerosmith frontman in 1973 shortly after her 16th birthday — when Tyler would have been 25.
Despite not naming Tyler in the lawsuit and calling the defendants Defendant Doe 1 and Does 2 through 50, Holcomb has spoken publicly about her alleged relationship with him in the past.
In her suit, she claimed she met the musician at an Aerosmith concert in Portland, where she lived, and that he took her back to his hotel room after the show.
Holcomb claimed she told Tyler her age and about her troubled home life before he “performed various acts of criminal sexual conduct upon” her. Holcomb claimed he sent her back home in a taxi the next morning.
She further claimed that the rocker flew her out to his next Aerosmith show in Seattle, after which he allegedly performed more sexual acts on her, and flew her back to Portland the following day.
Holcomb claimed that, in 1974, Tyler convinced her mother to allow him to become her legal guardian by allegedly promising to make sure she was taken care of and enrolled in school.
But according to Holcomb’s suit, he “did not meaningfully follow through on these promises and instead continued to travel with, assault and provide alcohol and drugs to” her.
In 1975, when Holcomb was 17, she alleged she became pregnant with Tyler’s son and that the vocalist insisted she terminate the pregnancy.
She claimed that he threatened to stop supporting her if she did not proceed with the procedure.
After the abortion, Holcomb claimed she left Tyler and moved back to Portland to start a new life as a devout Catholic.
However, in 20ll, Tyler published a memoir in which he wrote that he “almost took a teen bride” after the girl’s “parents fell in love with me [and] 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 claimed in her suit that the publication of the book subjected her to “involuntary infamy” while painting the false picture of a “romantic, loving relationship.”
She also noted that she’s mentioned in the memoir’s acknowledgments — allegedly without consent — under the name Julia Halcomb, which could be a misspelling.
Advertisement
Advertisement
Holcomb has detailed her allegations against Tyler several times over the years, including during the 2012 March for Life.
Reps for Tyler, now 74, did not immediately respond to either Rolling Stone or Page Six when contacted for comment.