A lady has sued Bob Dylan in a New York court, alleging that the US rock and folk legend sexually molested her when she was 12 years old almost 60 years ago.
The plaintiff, identified only as J.C. in court filings, was allegedly abused by Dylan for six weeks between April and May 1965, according to the lawsuit.
According to the complaint, Dylan “abused his status as a musician by providing J.C. with booze and narcotics and sexually abusing her on several occasions.”
Dylan, who turned 80 in May, was also accused of physically threatening the girl, according to the lawsuit.
According to the lawsuit, the alleged abuse took place at Dylan’s suite at New York’s famed Chelsea Hotel.
“The 56-year-old claim is incorrect and will be forcefully defended,” a Dylan spokeswoman stated. Dylan’s real name is Robert Zimmerman.
Dylan allegedly caused the accuser “serious psychological damage and mental suffering,” according to the complainant, who now lives in Greenwich, Connecticut. She is demanding undisclosed monetary compensation.
The case was filed one day before the deadline for filing claims under the Child Victims Act of New York State.
The law allowed victims of abuse to sue their alleged abusers regardless of how old the claims were or whether the statute of limitations had run out.
Last week, an accuser of late US tycoon Jeffrey Epstein used the legislation to file a sexual abuse lawsuit against Queen Elizabeth II’s second son, Prince Andrew.
Dylan is largely regarded as history’s finest singer-songwriter. “Blowin’ In The Wind,” “The Times They Are A-Changin’,” and “Like A Rolling Stone” are among his best-known songs.
He made his debut in the folk scene in New York in the early 1960s and has since sold over 125 million recordings worldwide.
Dylan was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2016 for “creating new lyrical interpretations within the great American song heritage.”
“Rough and Rowdy Ways,” his 39th studio album, was released last year, 58 years after his first.
