Bob Dylan accused of grooming and sexually abusing 12-year-old girl in 1965 in newly filed lawsuit
- A lawsuit filed in New York City accused Bob Dylan of sexually abusing a 12-year-old girl in 1965.
- It alleged the musician leveraged his fame to earn the girl's trust and gave her drugs and alcohol.
- A spokesperson for Dylan told Page Six that the suit's claims were untrue.
The music legend Bob Dylan has been accused of grooming and sexually abusing a 12-year-old girl at his Chelsea Hotel apartment in 1965, according to a new lawsuit filed in Manhattan court.
The lawsuit, which was filed Friday and reviewed by Insider, accused the famed singer-songwriter of giving the girl, identified in court documents as "J.C.," drugs and alcohol before sexually abusing her "multiple times."
Neither a lawyer representing Dylan, whose real name is Robert Allen Zimmerman, nor his representatives immediately responded to Insider's request for comment.
A spokesperson for Dylan told Page Six that the suit's claims were untrue and that the musician would be "vigorously defended."
J.C., who now lives in Greenwich, Connecticut, accused Dylan of assault, battery, false imprisonment, and infliction of emotional distress in the suit, for which she seeks a jury trial and unspecified damages.
The lawsuit alleged that Dylan exploited his status as a musician to gain J.C.'s trust and then manipulated and sexually abused her over six weeks in the spring of 1965.
J.C. said she sustained physical and psychological injuries as a result of the abuse, including depression, anxiety, anger, physical pain, and mental anguish, according to the lawsuit. The filing said J.C.'s continued emotional distress had kept her from "attending regular activities."
The New York Child Victims Act of 2019 allowed survivors of sexual abuse a brief window to file lawsuits against their abusers, no matter how long ago the abuse took place. J.C.'s lawsuit was filed on August 13, one day before the deadline to file such suits.
Dylan's iconic songwriting has earned him numerous awards, including the Presidential Medal of Freedom, 10 Grammys, a Golden Globe, and an Oscar.
He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and in 2016 was awarded the Nobel Prize in literature.