Judge Recuses Herself From Steven Tyler Sexual Assault Trial Weeks Before Scheduled Start

Los Angeles County Judge Patricia A. Young removed herself from Julia Misley’s sexual assault lawsuit against Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler during a Tuesday, September 15, 2026, hearing in Torrance, California. The move came roughly two weeks before the case had been due to go to trial, and it has knocked the previously set September 28 trial date off the court calendar with no replacement date yet in place.

• Judge Young disclosed a potential conflict of interest to both parties on Monday, September 14, 2026.
• Both sides were unable to agree to waive the conflict, forcing the recusal.
• The September 28 trial date has been automatically pulled from the calendar; no new date has been set.
• A status conference has been referenced for September 18 in Los Angeles to sort out how the case moves forward, with Judge Lawrence Riff named in connection with reassignment.
• One account of the proceedings listed the prior trial date as September 21 rather than September 28.

Why Did the Judge Step Down From the Steven Tyler Case?

Speaking from the bench, Judge Young explained that once she learned of the grounds for disqualification, she halted any further rulings in the matter. “As a result of the parties not waiving, I will officially disqualify,” she said. “Once I discovered the basis for my disqualification, I did not take any further action, so anything that was an open question as of last Friday, I have not ruled on those, and I will not rule on those.”

A source familiar with the matter indicated that the conflict stemmed from Judge Young’s consultations with a different judge about the case. She reportedly only recently discovered that judge had been taken off the case earlier for reasons that were not disclosed publicly.

What Is Julia Misley’s Lawsuit Against Steven Tyler About?

Julia Misley, previously known as Julia Holcomb, brought the lawsuit in December 2022, filing it just before the window closed under California’s Child Victims Act. That 2019 law temporarily suspended the statute of limitations so survivors of childhood sexual abuse could pursue claims that would otherwise have expired.

Misley alleges the abuse began in 1973, when she was a 16-year-old high school sophomore and Tyler was 25. She claims Tyler met her backstage in Portland that year and had sex with her the same night, followed by another encounter in Seattle. She further alleges that Tyler later brought her to California, where he took her, unclothed, into an elevator to have sex in a pool. At the time, Oregon and Washington both set the age of consent at 18. Misley says the relationship that followed lasted about three years and that Tyler took on the role of her legal guardian.

How Has Steven Tyler Responded to the Allegations?

Tyler has denied Misley’s claims and pushed for the case to be thrown out. His legal argument centers on the fact that the couple spent most of their time together in Massachusetts, where the age of consent was 16 at the time, and that Massachusetts law should govern the relationship even during trips to other states.

That argument succeeded in getting a large portion of Misley’s claims dismissed, including those connected to alleged conduct in Oregon and Washington. Courts, however, allowed the portion of the case tied to alleged conduct in California to move forward, since California’s own law and the Child Victims Act applied there.

In his 2011 memoir, “Does the Noise in My Head Bother You?,” Tyler recounted the relationship, writing that he “almost took a teen bride.” He described staying at Misley’s parents’ house and having them sign over custody of her to him so that he would not face arrest for taking her across state lines.

What Happens Next in the Steven Tyler Case?

With the September 28 trial date wiped from the calendar, it remains unclear when the case will next be scheduled for trial or which judge will take it over. Separate reporting on the proceedings noted that Judge Young had, before recusing herself, issued a pretrial ruling that narrowed Misley’s case down to a single remaining claim connected to an alleged 1974 incident.

More Info

• Second Judge Recuses Herself From Steven Tyler 70s Sexual Assault Case | Stereogum
• Steven Tyler Sexual Assault Case Judge Mysteriously Recuses Herself Two Weeks Before Trial | Rolling Stone
• Shock twist in Steven Tyler lawsuit over alleged sexual abuse of ex-lover as judge RECUSES herself less than two weeks before trial | dailymail.com
• Steven Tyler’s sexual assault trial to be reassigned as the supervising judge recuses herself from the lawsuit | soapcentral.com
• Steven Tyler’s Sexual Assault Case Takes a Weird Turn as Judge Recuses Herself Two Weeks Before Trial | rockcelebrities.net
• Judge in Steven Tyler Sexual Assault Case Recuses Herself | Ultimate Classic Rock
• Steven Tyler Accuser’s Lawsuit Faces Judge Change Less Than 2 Weeks Before Trial | people.com