A federal judge has dismissed a sexual assault lawsuit against Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler. Judge Lewis A. Kaplan (of New York) ordered yesterday (February 21) that the plaintiff, Jeanne Bellino, did not take action against Tyler in a timely enough fashion.
Bellino had sued Steven Tyler in a New York state court last November. The lawsuit was moved to a federal court this year.
In her original complaint, Bellino alleged that Steven Tyler sexually assaulted her in 1975 when she was 17 years old and he was 27. She filed the lawsuit last year under New York’s Victims of Gender-Motivated Violence Protection Act (VGMVPA), which had opened a two-year window for people to take legal action for alleged gender-motivated violence that occurred outside of a statute of limitations.
Judge Kaplan ruled that Bellino’s allegations are not protected under the VGMVPA because she does not “allege conduct presenting a serious risk of physical injury.”
Bellino has been represented by attorneys from the Jeff Anderson and Associates law firm. She and her lawyers plan to ask the court to reinstate the lawsuit, according to a statement on the firm’s website.
In a statement to Pitchfork, one of Tyler’s attorneys, David W. Long-Daniels, said, “We agree with the judge’s reasoning, and are grateful for this result on behalf of our client.”
Steven Tyler is still facing an active lawsuit from a Los Angeles woman named Julia Misley (formerly Julia Holcomb), who claims that the musician sexually assaulted and sexually battered her in 1973 when she was 16 years old and he was 25. Tyler has denied Misley’s allegations.
If you or someone you know has been affected by sexual assault, we encourage you to reach out for support:
RAINN National Sexual Assault Hotline
http://www.rainn.org
1 800 656 HOPE (4673)
Crisis Text Line
SMS: Text “HELLO” or “HOLA” to 741-741
