Steven Tyler has finally won his legal battle against sexual allegations that he had been facing for years.
On February 21, U.S. District Judge Lewis Kaplan dismissed a lawsuit accusing Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler of sexually assaulting a former teenage model twice in a single day in Manhattan nearly 50 years ago.
Kaplan ruled that Jeanne Bellino waited too long to sue Tyler under a New York City law that protects victims of gender-based violence. Tyler has categorically denied her allegations. The judge ruled that Bellino did not qualify for a two-year window to file claims because she did not allege that Tyler’s actions posed a serious risk of physical injury.’
Tyler’s legal representatives argued that Bellino could have presented her case earlier under two previous state laws, the Child Victims Act and the Adult Survivors Act, both of which had deadlines for filing claims. They claimed that her failure to do so demonstrated a ‘lack of diligence’ on the part of the woman. Judge Kaplan dismissed the case based on the arguments presented by Tyler’s legal team.
Tyler’s attorney also agrees with the judge’s reasoning, “We agree with the judge’s reasoning, and are grateful for this result on behalf of our client.”
What Were The Model’s Claims?
Bellino, a former child model, claimed to have met Tyler in New York during the summer of 1975 when she was 17. She claimed in the lawsuit that Tyler, who was about 27 at the time, violently assaulted her twice on the only day they met.
Bellino says she met Tyler after a friend arranged for them to meet Aerosmith at the Warwick Hotel following a fashion show she was working on in Manhattan. After meeting Tyler and his entourage, they walked down Sixth Avenue. Bellino allegedly frustrated Tyler by asking him a question about a song lyric while they were walking. This resulted in him forcing her into a phone booth.
According to the lawsuit, Tyler assaulted Bellino in the phone booth, groping her and engaging in inappropriate behavior. Others in the group allegedly laughed, and passersby did not intervene. According to the suit, Bellino eventually freed herself by raising her knee and pulling Tyler’s hair before fleeing the phone booth in shock and fear.
