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Second person accusing Steven Tyler of sexual assault initially planned to be a witness to help the woman in the first case. She later decided to pursue her own lawsuit.

Nov 3, 2023, 08:32 IST
Insider
Aerosmith lead singer Steven TylerRichard Shotwell/AP
  • A woman claims in a new lawsuit that Steven Tyler sexually assaulted her when she was 17.
  • This is the second lawsuit that accuses the Aerosmith singer of sexually assaulting a teenage girl.
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A second woman is accusing Steven Tyler of sexually assaulting her when she was a teenager, according to a new lawsuit filed Thursday.

Jeanne Bellino alleges in the lawsuit that was filed in a New York court that the incident with the Aerosmith singer occurred in the summer of 1975 when she was around 17 years old, living in Queens and working as a teen model.

The lawsuit comes nearly a year after another woman, Julia Misley, accused the singer of sexually assaulting her in his hotel room in 1973 when she was 16 years old.

Tyler's legal team sought to strike down portions of Misley's case in May. Another hearing is scheduled for February of next year.

Jeff Anderson, an attorney representing both women, told Insider in an interview that Bellino reached out to him because she initially wanted to be a witness for Misley.

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"As a result of the publicity (of the first case), that's what caused Jeanne to call me," Anderson said, adding that Bellino hoped to convince people that Misley was not a "liar."

Now, at 65 years old, Bellino decided to pursue her own case under the Gender-Motivated Violence Protection Law, Anderson said. The law is specific to New York City and gives victims of sexual abuse two years — between March 1, 2023 and March 1, 2025 — to pursue a civil lawsuit for "violence motivated by gender" that occurred at any time in the past.

The law is similar to the state of New York's Adult Survivors Act (ASA), which gives survivors a one-year window to file a civil case for a sexual offense that may have occurred in the past when they were 18 years old or older.

Under the ASA, E. Jean Carroll, a former Elle columnist, was able to file a lawsuit against Donald Trump for an assault that took place in 1996. A jury concluded in May that Trump sexually abused Carroll, awarding the writer $5 million in damages.

Anderson told Insider that Bellino said she "carried this for my life and was never able to tell anybody."

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"I want other Latino women to come forward," Anderson recalled Bellino saying. "I want women to know what was done to me."

Bellino alleges in the lawsuit that two incidents occurred on the same day in that summer of 1975.

After Bellino did a fashion show, arrangements had been made for her and her friend to meet Aerosmith, the lawsuit said.

By 1975, Aerosmith was one of the most popular rock bands, releasing singles such as "Dream On," "Sweet Emotion," and "Walk This Way" — all of which were certified multi-platinum records.

Bellino and the friend were joined by Tyler and about half a dozen people who appeared to be bandmates and others affiliated with Aerosmith, according to the suit.

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As they walked down 6th Avenue in Manhattan, Bellino asked about a song lyric to Tyler. The singer then became "visibly irritated" by the question, grabbed Bellino by the hand, and forced her inside a phone booth, the lawsuit claims.

Bellino accuses Tyler of groping various parts of her body, sticking his tongue down her throat, removing her clothing, and pinning her against the phone booth wall.

Bellino freed herself by pulling Tyler's hair, according to the suit.

During the incident, the lawsuit alleges that no member of Tyler's entourage or Bellino's friend intervened.

"None of Tyler's colleagues, bandmates, members, or Plaintiff's friend intervened or made any effort to stop the assault being committed in their presence by Steven Tyler," the lawsuit stated. "Rather, Tyler's bandmates and members of the entourage watched, laughed and did nothing to intercede."

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Bellino claims that she remained with Tyler and the entourage, who were heading to Warwick Hotel, after the incident because she was relying on her friend for a ride back to her home in Queens.

"Plaintiff felt helpless and panicked and wanted to get out of there but didn't have a means or manner of transportation or the money to go home," the lawsuit claimed.

It was at the hotel where a second incident between Tyler and Bellino occurred, according to the lawsuit.

"At the hotel, they entered through a bar entrance and there, Steven Tyler again pinned Plaintiff against the wall, put his tongue down her throat and started humping Plaintiff, simulating sex," the lawsuit alleged. "Tyler assaulted Plaintiff again as others stood by and watched."

A hotel doorman noticed the interaction take place, according to the lawsuit.

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Bellino, again, pulled Tyler's hair to free herself from the singer. According to the lawsuit, Tyler then whispered into Bellino's ear that he would be going up to his room and that a call would come for Bellino to come up.

When the call came, Bellino refused to go up and ran for the door, the lawsuit said. The doorman who noticed the interaction take place helped Bellino into a cab.

According to the lawsuit, the cab driver allowed Bellino to pay him only part of the fare.

After the incident, Bellino was "hospitalized and medicated," the lawsuit said.

"Plaintiff has continued to require medication to cope with the sexual assault and has suffered long term physical injury associated with the trauma," the lawsuit said.

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Bellino is accusing Tyler and other unnamed defendants referred to as "Does" of gender-motivated violence. She is seeking damages to be later determined by the court.

In December, Misley filed a lawsuit against Tyler, accusing the singer of sexually assaulting her after a concert in Portland, Oregon, when she had just turned 16.

The lawsuit alleges that Tyler impregnated her, was able to receive guardianship, and coerced the teenager into an abortion. Tyler had also published a memoir containing similar details in Misley's lawsuit.

Tyler's legal team previously responded in court documents earlier this year that Tyler's actions "were legitimate, good faith, justified, nondiscriminatory, and/or non-retaliatory."

An attorney for Tyler did not respond to a request for comment.

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