Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler is being sued by a woman who alleges he sexually assaulted her when she was a minor.
Julia Holcomb, who claims to have had a three-year illicit relationship with Tyler beginning in 1973, filed the lawsuit in California, where statutes of limitations for childhood sexual abuse claims were waived until Dec. 31. She alleges sexual assault, sexual battery and intentional infliction of emotional distress.
According to Rolling Stone, Holcomb’s lawsuit claims that Tyler convinced her mother to grant him guardianship of her when she was 16 years old so they could be together.
Tyler is referred to as Defendant Doe 1 in the lawsuit.
In his 2012 memoir Does the Noise in My Head Bother You?, Tyler reflected on how a teen’s parents “signed a paper over for me to have custody, so I wouldn’t get arrested if I took her out of state.”
Without naming her, Tyler remembered Holcomb as “sexy as hell” and “my heart’s desire, my partner in crimes of passion.”
Holcomb said she met Tyler when she was 16 after an Aerosmith concert (he would have been 25 at the time). She claims he took her to his hotel room and “performed various acts of criminal sexual conduct.” He allegedly bought her a plane ticket to Seattle, where Aerosmith did its next concert, and performed more sexual acts on her.
In Washington State, the age of consent is 16 but if the person is under 18 their partner can be no more than five years older.
Tyler allegedly promised Holcomb’s parents that he would support her and enrol her in school but, according to Holcomb, he “did not meaningfully follow through on these promises and instead continued to travel with, assault and provide alcohol and drugs.”
Holcomb alleged that Tyler forced her to get an abortion when she learned she was pregnant with his son in 1975.
She eventually left Tyler and moved on with her life, only to read his memoir, which she claimed portrayed their relationship as “romantic, loving.” Her name (misspelled as Julia Halcomb) appears in the book’s acknowledgements.
Holcomb previously shared details about her time with Tyler in Look Away, the 2021 documentary about sexual abuse in rock.
Tyler, 74, has not responded publicly to the lawsuit and none of the allegations have been tested in court.