The lawsuit was filed before the deadline of a 2019 law that allowed victims of child abuse to sue their alleged attackers in cases that were too old to pursue due to a statute of limitations.
A woman has accused the singer of sexually assaulting her when she was 12Image: Anwar Hussein/PA Images/Imago Images
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American folk singer-songwriter Bob Dylan has been sued by an unnamed woman for allegedly sexually abusing her in 1965. In the lawsuit, the woman identified only as J.C. said she was 12 years old at the time.
Filed late Friday with the New York Supreme Court, the civil lawsuit alleges Dylan, 80, sexually abused her at his New York apartment over six weeks, "leaving her emotionally scarred and psychologically damaged to this day."
It added that he "exploited his status as a musician to provide J.C. with alcohol and drugs and sexually abuse her multiple times."
Spokesperson denies allegations
A spokesperson for Dylan, who was in his mid-20s at the time, has refuted the allegations: "The 56-year-old claim is untrue and will be vigorously defended."
The lawsuit against Dylan was filed a day before a New York state deadline for filing claims under the Child Victims Act closed. The 2019 law allowed victims of abuse to sue their alleged attackers in cases that were too old to pursue due to a statute of limitations.
Last week, the act was used by an accuser of late US financier Jeffrey Epstein to sue Prince Andrews for alleged sexual abuse. He is Queen Elizabeth II's second son.
The plaintiff in the Dylan case is seeking unspecified damages.
Dylan emerged onto the folk scene in New York in the early 1960s and went on to sell 125 million records globally. In 2016, he won the Nobel Prize for Literature "for having created new poetic expressions within the great American song tradition."
Bob Dylan: Stations of a legendary career
Over six decades of iconic songs: Singer-songwriter Bob Dylan also left his mark as an activist, an actor and a Nobel Prize winner.
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The protest singer
Joan Baez and Bob Dylan are connected by more than protest against the establishment. The two were once a couple. In 1963 they made a joint appearance at the civil rights march in Washington.
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The actor
Calling Bob Dylan a folk or rock singer would be describing only part of his personality. Dylan is more like a total work of art, a cultural treasure of American society, who is an iconic protest figure and actor, as well. In 1973 he appeared in the movie "Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid."
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The activist
When his live touring schedule allows, Dylan has always turned towards benefit performances. In this photo from 1971, he appears with ex-Beatles Ringo Starr and George Harrison, performing in Madison Square Garden for 40,000 people. The concert proceeds of $250,000 went directly to the young country of Bangladesh, torn by civil war.
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The 'never-ending' performer
Bob Dylan remains active on stage. Although his "Never Ending Tour" was interrupted in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it has been in progress since 1988. The 79-year-old also released his 39th studio album in June 2020, the critically-acclaimed "Rough and Rowdy Ways," which came 58 years after the release of his debut album, "Bob Dylan."
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The prize winner
Bob Dylan has two honorary doctorates and was awarded the Pulitzer Prize in 2008 in recognition of his enormous influence on pop culture. In 2012, US President Barack Obama awarded him the country's highest civil distinction: the Presidential Medal of Freedom. He also became a Nobel Prize laureate in 2016.
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The dealmaker
In December 2020, Universal Music bought the entire back catalog of Bob Dylan's songs, a deal covering more than 600 song copyrights and spanning the singer-songwriter's 60-year career. The music company did not reveal the financial details of what it described as "one of the most important" music publishing agreements of all time, but reports estimate it was a "nine-figure deal."
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He is most widely known for his hits that include "Blowin' In The Wind," "The Times They Are a-Changin'," and "Like A Rolling Stone."
