The judge overseeing the sexual abuse lawsuit against Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler has recused herself from the case, with the trial initially scheduled to begin less than two weeks later. Judge Patricia A. Young informed legal teams of her disqualification on Monday, according to court documents.
Attorneys were given 24 hours to determine if the judge would remain on the case. As not all parties waived the disqualification, the court subsequently recused itself. A new judge will now be assigned, and Supervising Judge Timothy Weiner has scheduled a hearing for Friday in Los Angeles to discuss how the proceedings will continue. The trial had been projected to run for seven to ten days, starting September 28.
This development follows a recent legal victory for Tyler, who had previously denied the accusations made by Julia Misley. Misley claims she was 16 years old when Tyler allegedly groomed and sexually assaulted her. Last month, Judge Young dismissed several claims Misley had brought, ruling against her request to exclude evidence of consent in her relationship with Tyler. She was also barred from discussing an alleged abortion during their relationship and sexual assaults after the age of 18.
The judge allowed Misley to present evidence of drug and alcohol consumption during incidents in California. However, she was prohibited from claiming Tyler was her legal guardian or that he was obligated to provide her with an education or medical treatment. Misley is permitted to introduce evidence regarding Tyler holding himself out as her guardian, making promises of provision, and her feelings about her circumstances at the time.
Misley is also restricted from using certain inflammatory language, such as calling Tyler a "human trafficker," "sex slave owner," "Nazi," or equating the events to the Holocaust. She can refer to the alleged interactions as "unlawful sexual intercourse" rather than "statutory rape." The judge ruled that Misley cannot refer to Tyler as a "rapist" or "criminal" unless sufficient evidence is presented to support such claims, though she may use the term "criminal" in reference to conduct that violates the law.
Earlier this year, the judge had dismissed multiple claims in the case, with only those pertaining to a specific incident in California in 1974 remaining. Tyler's attorney stated at the time that 99.9% of the claims had been dismissed, leaving only "one night, 50-plus years ago, out of a three-year relationship" to be tried.
The initial lawsuit was filed in 2022 under California's Child Victims Act, which allows victims to report sexual abuse crimes committed against them when they were underage, pausing the statute of limitations. Misley stated she met Tyler at a 1973 Aerosmith concert when she was 16 and he was 25. She alleges Tyler used his status to take advantage of her. Tyler's representatives have contested this, asserting that their relationship was consensual and loving for many years. In his 2011 memoir, Tyler wrote about a past relationship where he nearly married a 16-year-old, stating her parents granted him custody so he wouldn't be arrested if he took her out of state.