Manhattan Court Permanently Dismisses Sexual Assault Lawsuit Against Steven Tyler; Plaintiff Prevented from Filing Again

A federal court in Manhattan has permanently dismissed a sexual assault lawsuit filed against Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler, preventing the plaintiff from making further legal claims related to the case. Jeanne Bellino, aged 66 at the time of filing last year, accused Tyler of forcibly groping her inside a New York City phone booth in 1975. According to court documents, while holding her captive within the telephone cabin, “Tyler stuck his tongue down [Bellino’s] throat and put his hands upon her body… moving and removing clothing and pinning her against the wall of the phone booth.” Bellino alleged that Tyler was humping her as he rubbed his erect penis against her. The musician denied these claims, stating in February 2021 that they did not constitute a “serious risk of physical injury,” which would have allowed for legal action under New York’s Gender Motivated Violence Act time limit. Bellino was given until March to amend the lawsuit; however, US District Judge Lewis Kaplan dismissed her complaint without prejudice – meaning she cannot file it again in future. This is not Tyler’s first sexual assault case: Julia Misley has also accused him of similar offences, claiming that they had a consensual relationship when she was 16 years old and he was acting as her legal guardian at the time. In response to this lawsuit, Tyler stated that their relationship was indeed consensual despite Bellino’s age during the alleged incidents. David Long-Daniels, who represented Tyler in both cases, said: “We agree with the judge’s reasoning, and are grateful for this result on behalf of our client.”