Steven Tyler, iconic frontman of the band Aerosmith, is facing two lawsuits alleging shocking acts of sexual misconduct from earlier in his career.
Jeanne Bellino, then 17 years old, claims Tyler assaulted her on two occasions in New York City in the 1970s. The encounters reportedly began with an unwanted kiss and touching in a public phone booth that escalated to another assault later in a hotel room, leaving Bellino distressed enough to require hospitalization.
A second suit was filed by Julia Misley, previously known as Julia Holcomb, under a California law allowing childhood sexual assault victims to pursue past claims. Misley asserts Tyler engaged in criminal sexual conduct after a concert when she was just sixteen. She further accuses Tyler of becoming her legal guardian to facilitate tour travel and coercing her into an abortion, and revealing private details of their relationship without permission in his memoirs.
These disturbing allegations emerge as Tyler’s past is thrust back under scrutiny after references to relationships with young women in his autobiography, including a mention of nearly marrying a teen. Both suits seek damages for enduring emotional and physical impacts of the alleged incidents from long ago.
The music legend now faces reckoning for actions that, if true, represent severe abuses of his influence and fans’ trust decades past.