Steven Tyler, frontman of the famous American rock group Aerosmith, is facing a charge of sexual assault, 50 years after the alleged incident in which he allegedly molested a 17-year-old girl.
The case against him was filed in a court in New York on Thursday. The incident allegedly took place in 1975.
According to the magazine Rolling Stone Jeanne Bellino, a former child model, suffered “permanent emotional damage” as well as other conditions after the musician groped and kissed her against her will.
According to court documents, the singer allegedly molested the former model twice in the summer of 1975 in Manhattan. The incidents apparently took place on the same day after a friend of Bellino arranged for her to meet the singer, then about 27. According to court documents, he sexually assaulted her twice, the first time by pushing her into a phone booth, groping her and rubbing himself against her. The second time was apparently later that day at a hotel where he kissed her “by force” and rubbed himself against her again.
It is not known how much Bellino is suing him for, or why she waited so long to make a case.
Although the incident took place half a century ago, Bellino claims in the summons that she “experienced and continues to experience great physical and emotional pain”. She also suffers permanent emotional damage, humiliation and personal and psychological injuries. It is also claimed that she was hospitalized due to the incident and is still taking medication to help her process the incident.
The incident in the telephone booth apparently happened when members of the group and their entourage left the Warwick Hotel and walked along Sixth Avenue. She asked him a question about a lyric that frustrated him, when he apparently pushed her into the phone booth. Eyewitnesses to the incident appeared to be standing outside the telephone booth and laughing.
According to court documents, she was able to free herself from his grip by lifting her knee and pulling on his hair and that she fled the phone booth in “shock and fear”. However, because she was dependent on her friend for a ride, she went back to the hotel with the group, where the second incident allegedly took place.
The 75-year-old singer is already facing a similar court case after Julia Holcomb Misley sued him in California last year for sexual assault of a minor. The case is related to Tyler’s relationship with Misley, then 16, and the alleged crimes apparently took place over a period of three years. Tyler denies the allegations of sexual assault, but not that they had a sexual relationship.
Aerosmith is currently touring in the US and Tyler’s lawyer as well as representatives of the group, did not respond to inquiries from Rolling Stone or The Guardian did not respond.
