Second Judge Steps Down From Steven Tyler ’70s Sexual‑Abuse Trial

In 2022, Julia Misley—formerly Julia Holcomb—filed a lawsuit against Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler, alleging sexual assault that occurred in the 1970s when she was a minor. The suit was filed near the end of the Child Victims Act, a 2019 law that temporarily eliminated the statute of limitations for child‑sex‑abuse claims. Misley met Tyler when she was 16 and he was 25; he later became her legal guardian during a three‑year relationship that Tyler described in his 2011 memoir. The case had been slated to go to trial later this month, but two judges have now recused themselves.

Rolling Stone reported that Los Angeles County Judge Patricia A. Young stepped aside on Tuesday after disclosing a potential conflict of interest to both parties the previous day. Misley’s attorney said the sides could not agree to waive the conflict, prompting Young’s recusal. According to Rolling Stone, Young had been consulting another judge about the matter, only to learn that the other judge had previously been removed from the case for undisclosed reasons. The trial, originally set for Sep. 28, has been taken off the calendar.

Tyler has consistently denied the allegations and moved to dismiss the suit, arguing that Massachusetts law—where the age of consent is 16—governed their relationship even when they traveled to other states. His legal team maintained that Massachusetts statutes should apply, resulting in the dismissal of many of Misley’s claims. Misley’s attorneys, however, successfully argued that California law, where the lawsuit was filed, remained applicable.

In a separate matter, former teen model Jeanne Bellino sued Steven Tyler for sexual assault in the 1970s, filing her complaint in 2023. People reported in 2024 that a judge dismissed Bellino’s case, ruling that she had waited too long to bring the suit.

If you or someone you know is undergoing sexual abuse, please visit rainn.org or contact the National Sexual Assault Helpline at 1-800-656-4673.

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