Bob Dylan Sued for Allegedly Sexually Abusing 12-Year-Old Girl in 1965

The lawsuit, which was filed on Friday, claims Dylan plied the young girl with drugs and alcohol before assaulting her

Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan performs as part of a double bill with Neil Young at Hyde Park on July 12, 2019 in London, England.
Dave J Hogan/Getty Images

In a bombshell new lawsuit filed in Manhattan on Friday, Bob Dylan has reportedly been sued for allegedly grooming and sexually abusing a 12-year-old girl in 1965. The legendary musician, who is now 80, would have been around 24 at the time of the alleged abuse.

According to Page Six, the lawsuit claims that Dylan plied the young girl with drugs and alcohol before sexually abusing her at his Chelsea apartment that year, allegedly using his star power “as part of his plan to sexually molest and abuse” her. The lawsuit does not name the victim, who is now 65 and living in Greenwich, Connecticut, identifying her instead as simply “J.C.”

“Bob Dylan, over a six-week period between April and May of 1965 befriended and established an emotional connection with the plaintiff,”  the suit claims, adding that he established the connection in order to “lower [J.C.’s] inhibitions with the object of sexually abusing her, which he did, coupled with the provision of drugs, alcohol and threats of physical violence, leaving her emotionally scarred and psychologically damaged to this day.”

J.C. is seeking unspecified damages and a jury trial, and the suit claims that the emotional toll the alleged abuse took on her has been debilitating, noting that her depression and anxiety “are of a permanent and lasting natures and have incapacitated plaintiff from attending her regular activities.”

Representatives for Dylan have not yet commented on the lawsuit. J.C.’s lawyer Daniel Isaacs declined to comment further to Page Six, telling the publication, “The complaint speaks for itself.”

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