A unexpected twist occurred in the sexual assault lawsuit against Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler as Judge Patricia A. Young recused herself just two weeks before the trial was scheduled to begin. The case, filed by plaintiff Julia Misley, alleges that Tyler abused her when she was a minor in the 1970s.
Judge Recusal Explained
During a hearing on Tuesday in Torrance, California, Judge Young revealed that she had disclosed a potential conflict of interest to both parties the day before. When Misley’s attorney stated that they could not agree to waive that conflict, Young decided to step aside from the case. A source informed Rolling Stone that the judge had been in consultation with another judge regarding this long-standing lawsuit and only recently realized that this posed a problem, as the other judge had previously been removed from the case for undisclosed reasons.
“As a result of the parties not waiving, I will officially disqualify,” Judge Young stated. “Once I discovered the basis for my disqualification, I did not take any further action, so anything that was an open question as of last Friday … I have not ruled on those, and I will not rule on those.”
Trial Date Uncertainty
The trial, originally slated for September 28, has automatically been taken off the calendar, but it remains uncertain when the case will be reassigned or a new trial date established. Efforts to reach lawyers on both sides for comments were unsuccessful immediately following the hearing.
Background of the Lawsuit
Misley initiated her lawsuit in December 2022, alleging that Tyler sexually abused her starting in 1973, when she was just 16 years old and he was 25. Tyler has vigorously denied the claims, seeking to dismiss the lawsuit based on the assertion that their relationship predominantly took place in Massachusetts, where the age of consent at the time was 16. He contends that local laws apply only when the two were in California, where Misley’s lawsuit cites the state’s Child Victims Act, allowing survivors of childhood sexual abuse a three-year period to bring previously expired claims forward.
Details of Abuse Allegations
According to her lawsuit, Misley claimed that Tyler invited her backstage after they first met in Portland, just after her 16th birthday, and that they engaged in sexual activity that evening. Their encounters continued during his concert tour in Seattle, where she alleges they again had sex, and Misley also recounts being taken to California for an awards show, where Tyler purportedly assaulted her in an elevator after dragging her out of the pool.
During this period, Tyler became her legal guardian, as Misley alleged in her lawsuit, which she describes as a form of grooming. Tyler’s memoir, Does the Noise in My Head Bother You?, recalls the guardianship arrangement and his relationship with Misley, suggesting a level of affection—“I was so in love, I almost took a teen bride,” he wrote.
Evidence and Consent Issues
In recent pretrial rulings, Judge Young allowed evidence to be presented that Tyler had claimed to be Misley’s guardian, but she also ruled that jurors could hear evidence arguing that Misley had “consented” to the relationship. In a controversial decision, the judge noted that jurors would need to determine whether Tyler held a “position of authority” over Misley, as this would directly impact the relevance of consent in the case.
It remains unclear whether the next judge overseeing the case will re-evaluate Young’s rulings and evidence as the case moves forward.
