What Steven Tyler Has Said About Abuse Accuser Julia Holcomb
Aerosmith front man Steven Tyler has been accused of sexual misconduct with a minor for alleged crimes dating back to the 1970s.
Julia Holcomb filed papers in a Los Angeles court accusing him of sexual assault, sexual battery and intentional infliction of emotional distress. Holcomb is able to sue Tyler, 74, after California temporarily waived statutes of limitations for childhood sexual abuse allegations.
In the suit, Holcomb claimed Tyler entered into a sexual relationship with her when she was just 16 after convincing her mother to allow him to become her guardian so he could travel over state lines with her.
Holcomb said she "was powerless to resist" his "power, fame and substantial financial ability," according to a Rolling Stone story.
The suit claims Tyler "coerced and persuaded Plaintiff into believing this was a 'romantic love affair'" that began just weeks after her 16th birthday when Tyler would have been 25.
Holcomb said in the suit that she had planned to move on with her life until Tyler wrote about their relationship in his autobiography and Aerosmith's book.
"She was sixteen, she knew how to nasty, and there wasn't a hair on it," Tyler wrote in his memoir.
He admitted to becoming the girl's guardian to be able to travel with her across state lines, writing "her parents fell in love with me, 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."
"With my bad self being twenty-six and she barely old enough to drive and sexy as hell, I just fell madly in love with her. She was a cute skinny little tomboy dressed up as Little Bo Peep. She was my heart's desire, my partner in crimes of passion."
They met in 1973 after an Aerosmith show in Portland, Oregon where Tyler took her back to his hotel room and discussed her age, before he allegedly "performed various acts of criminal sexual conduct upon" her, according to the suit.
Holcomb also asserted that Tyler forced her to get a late-term abortion when she was 17 after the apartment he put her up in caught fire and she almost died of smoke inhalation.
Even though she was not mentioned by name in either book, the apartment fire and abortion were.
Following the pregnancy Holcomb returned home, became religious and is now a Christian anti-abortion speaker.
Newsweek has contacted Tyler's representatives for comment.
Holcomb was mentioned in a 1976 Rolling Stone profile of the band.
"But there's nothing laid back about Tyler, who will tell you that he might like to get married someday, but that his main old lady, for the moment at least, is that b**** called rock & roll," wrote reporter Ed McCormack at the time. "Well—Julia Holcomb is always nearby, trailing in her wistfully towering way off his arm like a scarf—but Steven Tyler is wedded to his career and image 24 hours a day."
Later in the profile he wrote: "But, as usual, the whole point of this display is Steven Tyler bringing up the rear, a little ragamuffin dressed up for some school pageant, complete with cape and plumed musketeer hat and the fair maiden Julia on his arm."
The California Child Victims Act was enacted to allow more child sexual abuse survivors to bring civil and criminal lawsuits at any age against the accused, no matter when the abuse happened. The deadline to file a complaint is December 31, 2022.
Californian courts have been inundated with lawsuits as the deadline looms, with some dating as far back as the 1940s, according to The Los Angeles Times.
In May, Aerosmith announced it would be canceling its June and July Las Vegas residency shows as Tyler had voluntarily checked into rehab following a drug relapse.
"As many of you know, our beloved brother Steven has worked on his sobriety for many years," the band said in a statement.
"After foot surgery to prepare for the stage and the necessity of pain management during the process, he has recently relapsed and voluntarily entered a treatment program to concentrate on his health and recovery.
"We will continue our 2022 dates starting in September, and we'll let you know any further updates as soon as we can. We are devastated that we have inconvenienced so many of you, especially our most loyal fans who often travel great distances to experience our shows."
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