A Los Angeles judge has ruled that sexual abuse claims against Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler can proceed to trial in California, while related allegations tied to other states have been dismissed, marking a major development in a high-profile civil lawsuit dating back to December 2022.
The decision, handed down by Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Patricia A. Young, comes after months of legal wrangling over whether the case could move forward given the decades that have passed since the alleged incidents. Although Tyler’s attorneys secured dismissal of claims brought under the laws of Oregon, Washington and Massachusetts — citing statutes of limitations and age-of-consent differences — the judge ruled that the California portion of the lawsuit is sufficiently grounded to proceed.
“Even if it’s legal in Massachusetts, California has an interest in saying, ‘OK, that’s fine but it’s illegal here. Don’t come within our borders and do it here,’” Judge Young said from the bench, underscoring the state’s authority to hear allegations of childhood sexual abuse that allegedly occurred within its jurisdiction.
The case was filed under California’s 2019 Child Victims Act, which temporarily extended the window for survivors of childhood sexual abuse to bring older claims that would otherwise be time-barred. The plaintiff, Julia Misley — who was known earlier as Julia Holcomb — alleges that Tyler sexually abused her in the early 1970s when she was a high school sophomore and he was 25 years old.
Misley claims the initial encounter occurred backstage in Portland, followed by another alleged incident in Seattle. In both places, the age of consent at the time was 18, and Misley says she was groomed by Tyler during their relationship.
Much of the evidence cited in filings and media accounts stems from Tyler’s own memoirs, where he wrote about taking a teenage girl on tour and arranging guardianship papers so he could travel with her — details that Misley’s legal team says corroborate parts of her claims.
While claims tied to other states were dropped, the judge’s decision to let the California abuse allegations move forward means the case can now proceed to discovery and, ultimately, a jury trial unless it settles. Judge Young emphasized that once claims outside California were dismissed, they cannot be refiled in the future.
Tyler’s legal team had argued for full dismissal of the lawsuit, contending that Misley lived with him for a significant part of their alleged relationship in Massachusetts, where the age of consent at the time was 16. But the judge’s ruling asserts that when the pair traveled to and engaged in the disputed conduct in California, the stricter laws of that state applied.
This California lawsuit is not the only legal issue Tyler has faced related to past allegations. In New York, another lawsuit alleging sexual assault of a 17-year-old model in 1975 was dismissed by a judge in 2024 due to statute of limitations concerns.
Misley’s case also draws on Tyler’s own autobiographical writings — which include passages describing a relationship with a teenage girl late at night on tour — and that has complicated the legal defenses, as experts have noted the unusual nature of using a subject’s published memoir as potential evidence in such a trial.
With the judge’s ruling that the California portion of the lawsuit can proceed, the case appears poised to move into more detailed legal phases, including evidence discovery and possible courtroom testimony. Tyler has denied wrongdoing and contested the legal basis for the claims, but the judge’s decision keeps the civil suit alive in a state seen as central to the alleged acts.
The lawsuit’s progress also adds a new, complex chapter to Tyler’s legacy as he navigates legal scrutiny late in life — decades after Aerosmith became one of rock’s most iconic bands and just as the group appears to be wrapping up its touring era.
