Dismissal of Sexual Assault Lawsuit Against Steven Tyler as Judge Rules Statute of Limitations Expired
A lawsuit accusing Aerosmith’s Steven Tyler of sexually assaulting a teenage girl decades ago has been dismissed by U.S. District Judge Lewis Kaplan. Jeanne Bellino, a former teenage model, filed the lawsuit in November, alleging that she suffered “physical, psychological, and emotional injuries” after Tyler groped, kissed, and simulated sex without her consent.
Judge Kaplan ruled that Bellino waited too long to bring the case to light, stating it did not qualify under the New York City law allowing abuse victims to speak up about decades-old claims. According to court documents obtained by PEOPLE, the judge emphasized that the window for such cases only applies when the abuser’s actions present a “serious risk of physical injury,” which Bellino’s alleged experiences did not meet.
In response to the judge’s decision, Bellino filed a letter claiming she was not properly served with Tyler’s underlying motion, seeking the motion and order to be “stricken.”
Tyler’s attorney, David Long-Daniels, expressed agreement with the court’s reasoning and gratitude for the result. Bellino’s initial lawsuit detailed the incident, alleging that Tyler forcibly engaged in sexual acts with her when she was around 17 years old.
The complaint described how Tyler, then around 27, allegedly grabbed Bellino by the hand, forced her into a phone booth, and subjected her to unwanted sexual advances. Bellino claimed severe and permanent emotional distress, physical manifestations of emotional distress, embarrassment, humiliation, and various injuries as a result of the encounter.
Bellino’s lawsuit came about a year after Tyler faced accusations of sexual assault and battery of a minor in a suit filed by Julie Misley, who claimed she had a sexual relationship with the rock star when she was a teen in the 1970s. Tyler was not named directly in Misley’s suit, but the allegations aligned with comments he had made publicly in his 2011 memoir.
In April, Tyler requested the dismissal of Misley’s lawsuit, arguing that she consented to their relationship, and he had immunity as her legal guardian at the time. The dismissal of Bellino’s lawsuit follows a similar legal strategy.