Aerosmith singer ‘sexually assaulted girl, 16, and forced her to have abortion’
aerOSMItH star Steven tyler has been accused of sexually abusing a 16-year-old girl when he was 25 in the 1970s.
Julia Holcomb, now 65, has filed a legal case in Los angeles which also alleges that the singer forced her to have an abortion.
the suit claims that the abuse started in the state of Oregon where the legal age for sexual consent is 18, meaning Mrs Holcomb would have been a minor at the time.
It does not name tyler, now 74, directly, identifying him only as ‘Defendant Doe’, but it quotes from the american rock star’s 2011 memoir describing their relationship.
In the lawsuit, Mrs Holcomb accuses tyler of plying her with drugs after gaining guardianship of her from her mother and pressuring her into ending a pregnancy.
tyler’s memoir described a three-year sexual relationship with a teen girl in the 1970s whom he named as ‘Diana’.
He wrote that he ‘almost took a teen bride’ and ‘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’.
He added of later in the relationship: ‘With my bad self being 26 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.’
Mrs Holcomb’s lawsuit alleges that she met him in 1973 shortly after her 16th birthday, when she attended an aerosmith concert in Portland, Oregon. She says she returned to tyler’s hotel room after the show.
the suit claims that, after discussing her age, tyler ‘performed various acts of criminal sexual conduct upon’ her.
according to the lawsuit, the relationship progressed and Mrs Holcomb ‘was powerless to resist’ tyler’s ‘fame and substantial financial ability’.
It is claimed that in 1974 tyler convinced Mrs Holcomb’s mother to grant him guardianship over her so they could travel across american state lines. It is alleged that tyler had promised to take care of the teen and pay for her education and healthcare, but he ‘instead continued to travel with, assault and provide alcohol and drugs’ to her. Mrs Holcomb says she became pregnant with tyler’s son when she was 17 but he pressured her into an abortion after an apartment fire, claimat ing the baby might have been injured by smoke inhalation.
tyler mentions a fire in his memoir, but not an abortion. However, a 1997 aerosmith autobiography refers to a relationship with a teen girl, an apartment fire and an abortion.
Mrs Holcomb converted to Catholicism following her alleged relationship with tyler and became an anti-abortion activist who has repeatedly spoken out about her experience.
In 2011, after tyler published his memoir, she wrote an essay for a prolife website claiming he snorted cocaine her bedside during her abortion. Mrs Holcomb also appeared on Fox News in 2020, telling host tucker Carlson about the alleged relationship and abortion. She said: ‘I met Steven tyler when I was just 16 years old and he became my legal guardian.
‘He made the decision that he wanted me to have an abortion... and it didn’t really matter how I begged to keep my baby – that decision really wasn’t going to be in my hands.’
the lawsuit was filed under legislation which created a three-year window for filing civil claims over child sexual abuse. the window expires today.
the suit was first reported by rolling Stone magazine.
twice-divorced tyler, known as the Demon of Screamin’ due to his powerful vocal range, has four children, including the actress Liv tyler, from three relationships.
a representative for the rock star declined to comment.
Formed in Boston in 1970, aerosmith are known for hits including I Don’t Want to Miss a thing, Walk this Way and Dream On. they are believed to be the best-selling US hard rock band of all time, chalking up record sales of 150million around the world.
‘I begged to keep my baby’