A U.S. District Judge made a decision on Wednesday regarding a lawsuit involving allegations against Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler.
The lawsuit was brought by a woman named Jeanne Bellino, who claimed that Tyler sexually assaulted her when she was 17 years old.
This case was one of two legal actions pending against the Grammy winner. The other lawsuit, filed in California in 2022, is still ongoing.
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Bellino’s lawsuit asserts that she was a 17-year-old model when a friend arranged for her to meet Tyler, who was 27 at the time.
According to Bellino’s complaint, Tyler allegedly sexually assaulted her twice during the encounter — once in a phone booth and once at a hotel — by forcibly groping, kissing, and engaging in inappropriate behavior.
Tyler, known for his role on American Idol, has vehemently denied the allegations in court filings.
Bellino’s suit was brought under New York City’s Victims of Gender-Motivated Violence Protection Act, which allows for an extended statute of limitations in older cases.
This act offers a new two-year window for individuals to make claims for incidents that may have occurred decades ago. Bellino claims the incidents in her case date back to 1975.
However, the judge ruled on Wednesday that Bellino did not meet the qualifications for the new two-year window because her allegations did not involve conduct presenting a serious risk of physical injury.
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According to Reuters, Tyler’s attorney expressed gratitude for the judge’s decision, stating that they agreed with the reasoning behind it and were thankful for the outcome on behalf of their client.
In response, Bellino’s lawyers stated that while Tyler’s legal team filed a motion to dismiss the case, they failed to properly serve Bellino with the motion as required by court rules. As a result, Bellino plans to ask the court to reinstate the lawsuit.
“Tyler’s lawyers filed the motion to ask the Court to dismiss the lawsuit in early February but failed to serve it on the survivor as required by court rules to allow the Plaintiff to file an opposition. The Plaintiff, Jeanne Bellino, will ask the Court to reinstate the lawsuit,” reads a statement on her counsels’ web site.
Meanwhile, the other lawsuit against Tyler, brought in California by a woman who alleges she had a sexual relationship with him in 1973 when she was 16, is still ongoing.
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