In April 2023, Steven Tyler denied allegations in a lawsuit brought by Julia Misley and sought dismissal. His answer, as reported by Rolling Stone, included defenses based on consent and claimed caretaker or guardian immunity. Attorneys quoted in the report criticized those arguments; their comments were legal opinions, not a court ruling. Later reporting in 2026 said most claims had been dismissed, while part of the case was to proceed, and then reported that the assigned judge had recused herself.
What Misley alleged and what Tyler argued
Misley’s lawsuit alleged that Tyler sexually assaulted and battered her beginning when she was 16 in the 1970s. Rolling Stone reported that the complaint said Tyler persuaded her mother to grant him guardianship, and that Misley’s account also involved an abortion. These were allegations in the lawsuit, not findings established by the news report. Rolling Stone also said the complaint referred to Tyler’s memoir, Walk This Way.
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Tyler’s April 2023 answer denied the allegations and sought dismissal. According to Rolling Stone, it asserted multiple defenses, including that Misley had consented and that Tyler was immune from liability as her caretaker or guardian. The answer set out Tyler’s legal position; filing a defense did not mean a judge had accepted it.
Why attorneys criticized the defenses
The claimed caretaker or guardian immunity
Susan Crumiller, founding attorney of Crumiller PC, said: “There is no such thing as immunity to a caregiver or guardian for sex abuse.” Dave Ring, a Los Angeles attorney who represents children and adults in sexual-misconduct cases, described the immunity argument as baffling, while noting that defendants commonly raise a broad range of defenses early in civil litigation.
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The Rolling Stone headline’s “F-cking Insane” wording reflects the reaction attributed to Crumiller; it was not a court’s description of Tyler’s defense. Plaintiff’s attorney Jeff Anderson separately called the response “gaslighting” in a statement reported by the magazine. Both characterizations were lawyers’ commentary.
The consent argument and position of authority
Katherine Atkinson, an attorney specializing in discrimination and sexual misconduct, told Rolling Stone she was “mystified” by the response. She questioned how the guardian argument fit with California consent law. As the article described her analysis, California Civil Code language bars consent as a defense in certain civil sexual-battery actions when the alleged actor is an adult in a position of authority over a minor; caretakers are among the listed authority figures. That was Atkinson’s account of the law’s relevance, not a ruling on Tyler’s defense in this case.
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Why travel and different jurisdictions came up
Ring also discussed the ages of consent under Oregon, California, and federal law, and the possible relevance of travel across state lines. His comments addressed legal questions raised by the allegations and the defense; they do not establish which law a court applied or how a court resolved those questions.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What later reports said about the case
On May 1, 2026, the Los Angeles Times reported that most of the case had been dismissed, while part was to proceed to trial. In September 2026, Louder reported that the judge assigned to preside had recused herself two weeks before scheduled proceedings. That report said it was unclear when the next stage would begin.
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The cited reports do not establish that a trial took place or that the allegations were proven. They describe dismissals of most claims and an uncertain next stage for the remaining proceedings.
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