Steven Tyler remains confident as new judge takes over lawsuit

A new judge has been assigned to the ongoing sexual assault lawsuit involving Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler. Lawrence Riff, the supervising judge of the civil division at the Los Angeles Superior Court, has taken over the case following the recusal of Judge Patricia A. Young less than two weeks before the trial was scheduled to begin.

Tyler, 78, remains confident in his legal position. His legal team described Riff as “fair and well-educated” and expects the judicial change to have little impact on the proceedings. Tyler has adamantly denied all allegations of wrongdoing, maintaining that his past relationship with the plaintiff was consensual.

The lawsuit, originally filed in December 2022, included claims of sexual assault, sexual battery, and intentional infliction of emotional distress. Most of these claims were dismissed because they occurred outside of California jurisdiction or were barred by the statute of limitations. Currently, the litigation centers on a single remaining claim of intentional infliction of emotional distress stemming from an incident in Los Angeles in 1974 involving Julia Misley.