In a significant legal decision, a federal judge in Manhattan has permanently dismissed a lawsuit against Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler, brought forth by former teenage model Jeanne Bellino. The lawsuit alleged that Tyler sexually assaulted her twice in one day during the mid-1970s.
US District Judge Lewis Kaplan ruled that Bellino cannot pursue damages from the 76-year-old rock star under a 2000 New York City law designed to protect victims of gender-motivated violence. The judge determined that it would be futile for Bellino to file an amended complaint, thereby dismissing her case with prejudice, effectively barring any future legal action on the matter.
Bellino’s lawyers have not yet responded to requests for comment regarding the dismissal.
Tyler vehemently denied Bellino’s accusations, which included claims that he assaulted her in a phone booth while his entourage looked on, and later assaulted her in a hotel. These alleged incidents occurred in the summer of 1975 when Bellino was 17 years old and Tyler was 27.
The judge emphasized that the city law in question was not retroactive, and Bellino’s battery claim would have expired on her 19th birthday. Additionally, he clarified that two more recent state laws, the Adult Survivors Act and Child Victims Act, did not revive Bellino’s claim.
David Long-Daniels, Tyler’s attorney, expressed satisfaction with the judge’s decision, stating that Kaplan diligently applied the law to the facts presented. Meanwhile, Tyler has faced another lawsuit in Los Angeles, where a plaintiff named Julia Misley accused him of sexual assault in 1973 when she was 16 and he was 25. Notably, Bellino’s law firm is representing Misley in that case.
Steven Tyler, whose given name is Steven Tallarico, can now put this legal matter behind him as the lawsuit against him in New York has been officially dismissed.
