Sexual Assault Case Against Aerosmith Frontman Dismissed
A sexual assault lawsuit filed against Aerosmith’s Steven Tyler has been dismissed. U.S. District Judge Lewis Kaplan ruled that Tyler’s actions didn’t present a “serious risk of physical injury” to the plaintiff.
The incidents in question occurred in ’75 when Tyler allegedly fondled and groped 17-year-old model Jeanne Bellino pinning her against the wall of a phone booth and continuing to grope her in a hotel lobby. At that point she hastily departed,
Bellino claimed she suffered “severe and permanent emotional distress” and takes medication “to cope with the sexual assault and has suffered long-term physical injury associated with the trauma.”
Bellino brought the case forward last November as part of New York City’s Victim of Gender-Motivated Violence Protection Act, a law which extended the statute of limitations for certain alleged sexual assaults.
Tyler’s lawyers argued that Bellino could have brought her case forward earlier under two previous state laws, where the windows to file claims had expired. They argued that by not doing so showed a “lack of diligence” on Bellino’s part.
Bellino has until March 13th to amend and resubmit her case.
