Second judge exits explosive Steven Tyler lawsuit without saying why

In December 2022, a woman sued Steven Tyler, frontman of Aerosmith, alleging he had an illegal sexual relationship with her starting when she was 16 and he was 25. The lawsuit claims that Tyler convinced the plaintiff's mother to grant him legal guardianship over her while they were in a sexual relationship from around 1973 for approximately three years. She also alleges she became pregnant in 1975, at which point Tyler, who was both her guardian and alleged father of her unborn child, pressured her into having an abortion against her Catholic beliefs.

Judges have repeatedly recused themselves or been reassigned due to the sensitive nature of the case; most recently, Torrance Superior Court Judge Patricia A. Young removed herself without explanation, leaving a hearing scheduled for Friday before Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Lawrence P. Riff to reassign the lawsuit. The woman's attorneys argue that much of the alleged conduct occurred in California despite Tyler’s team claiming it took place across multiple states and would be barred by statutes of limitations elsewhere.