Iconic singer-songwriter Bob Dylan has been accused of drugging and sexually assaulting a 12-year-old girl in 1965 when he was in his mid-20s, according to a lawsuit filed last week in New York.
According to the suit, which was filed in state Supreme Court on Friday, Dylan befriended the girl, identified only as J.C., in May 1965.
Dylan, now 80, is alleged to have "established an emotional connection" with J.C. to "lower her inhibitions with the object of sexually abusing her, which he did," the suit says.
The suit alleges that Dylan used drugs, alcohol and threats of physical violence, "leaving her emotionally scarred and psychologically damaged to this day."
In a statement to NBC News, a spokesman for Dylan said, "The 56-year-old claim is untrue and will be vigorously defended."
Daniel Isaacs, one of the attorneys representing J.C., responded to a request for comment by saying, "Nothing other than the complaint speaks for itself and we shall prove our allegations in a court of law."
The suit doesn’t mention potentially corroborating evidence, but claims the girl had just turned 12 when Dylan began “grooming” her. The suit alleges that multiple episodes of abuse occurred at Dylan’s apartment at the famed Manhattan landmark, Hotel Chelsea, in April and May 1965.
J.C. suffered depression, anxiety, disassociation and other long-lasting effects from the abuse, the suit says.
The suit does not specify damages, but says the amount sought exceeds the limits of lower courts.
Dylan, who has released more than three dozen albums since 1963 and was awarded the Pulitzer Prize in 2008 for his “profound impact” on American music, released two albums in 1965 — “Bringing It All Back Home” and “Highway 61 Revisited.”
