Singer-songwriter Bob Dylan has been sued by a woman who accused him of sexually abusing her in 1965 when she was only 12 years old.
The lawsuit filed on Friday with the New York Supreme Court alleged that Dylan sexually abused her after giving her drugs and alcohol. “Dylan, who was in his mid-20s at the time, “exploited his status as a musician to provide J.C. with alcohol and drugs and sexually abuse her multiple times,” the lawsuit said. A spokesman for Dylan, now 80, said the allegations were false. “The 56-year-old claim is untrue and will be vigorously defended,” the spokesman said.
The woman identified only as J.C. said Dylan sexually abused her at his New York apartment over a six-week period “leaving her emotionally scarred and psychologically damaged to this day.
The lawsuit was filed a day before the window for filing claims under New York State’s Child Victims Act closed. This allowed people to file legal claims involving allegations of sexual abuse of children that in the past were too old to pursue due to a statute of limitations.
Dylan is one of the most acclaimed artists of the rock era with hits including ‘Blowin’ in the Wind’ and ‘Like a Rolling Stone’. He was also awarded the Nobel prize for literature in 2016.