A second woman has filed a lawsuit against Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler over an alleged sexual assault that occurred in the 1970s. The complaint (obtained by Pitchfork) was filed on Thursday (November 2) in a New York court by Jeanne Bellino, who claims that Tyler sexually assaulted her in 1975 when she was 17 years old and he was 27. The lawsuit lists the cause of action as gender-motivated violence, and, in the complaint, Bellino says that she sustained physical, psychological, and emotional injuries from the alleged assault.
In her lawsuit, Bellino alleges that, in the summer of 1975, when she was working as a youth model, she traveled from her home in Queens to Manhattan to model in a fashion show. She made arrangements to travel back to Queens with a friend, but Bellino’s friend instead made plans for them to meet up with Aerosmith, who, by then, were already a famous rock band.
The complaint states that Bellino and her friend met up with Tyler and his entourage and the group walked down Sixth Avenue together. Bellino recalls that she made a comment about an Aerosmith lyric to Tyler, who allegedly became “visibly irritated” by her remark. Tyler then allegedly grabbed Bellino by the hand and forced her into a nearby phone booth.
Bellino’s lawsuit alleges that, while she was restrained in the phone booth, Tyler “stuck his tongue down her throat, and put his hands upon her body, her breasts, her buttocks, and her genitals, moving and removing clothing and pinning her against the wall of the phone booth.” The complaint states that Tyler was humping Bellino and pretending to have sex with her while Tyler’s entourage and passersby watched and laughed without intervening.
Bellino claims that she eventually broke away from Tyler after pulling his hair and raising her knee, but remained with her friend and his group because she was relying on her friend for transportation back to Queens. The complaint states that she was “dazed, confused, and shocked” following the alleged assault, and that it was her first sexual experience.
Bellino and her friend continued with Tyler and his entourage to the Warwick Hotel, where Tyler allegedly pinned her against the wall of the hotel’s bar entrance, put his tongue down her throat and again humped her, simulating sex. According to the lawsuit, a nearby doorman was able to see incident, and others also stood by and watched as Bellino was allegedly assaulted. Bellino claims that she pulled Tyler’s hair and freed her right arm as the musician allegedly whispered, “I’m going in my room to do something quick.”
Bellino says that “one of Steven Tyler’s colleagues” encouraged her to go up to the musician’s room, but she refused and “bolted towards the door” of the hotel. From there, she recalls, she took a taxi cab back home to Queens.
Last December, a woman named Julia Holcomb sued Tyler for allegedly sexually assaulting and sexually battering her in 1973 when she was 16 years old and Tyler was 25. In her lawsuit, Holcomb claimed that she “was powerless to resist” the singer’s “power, fame, and substantial financial ability,” and that he “coerced and persuaded [her] into believing this was a ‘romantic love affair.’” Tyler subsequently denied Holcomb’s allegations.
Pitchfork has reached out to Jeff Anderson (the lawyer representing Jeanne Bellino and Julia Holcomb) and Steven Tyler’s representatives for comment.
If you or someone you know has been affected by sexual assault, we encourage you to reach out for support:
RAINN National Sexual Assault Hotline
http://www.rainn.org
1 800 656 HOPE (4673)
Crisis Text Line
SMS: Text “HELLO” or “HOLA” to 741-741
