Bob Dylan's lawyers have branded sexual abuse allegations against him "untrue, absurd" and an extortion attempt.
Bob Dylan's lawyers have slammed allegations against him
The 80-year-old musician has been accused of grooming and abusing a woman in 1965 when she was 12 years old and in a response to the lawsuit, the 'Ballad of a Thin Man' singer's team have slammed the case as a "fantastical and fictitious story being exploited for financial gain."
Documents filed on Thursday (06.01.22) in response to an amended complaint filed on 27 December and obtained by People magazine stated: "This case—based on plaintiff's alleged interactions with Bob Dylan more than 56 years ago–is a brazen shakedown masquerading as a lawsuit.
"It was filed in bad faith for the improper purpose of extracting a huge payout on the threat of negative publicity. The allegation is false, malicious, reckless and defamatory. Mr. Dylan will not be extorted."
The plaintiff, who has been named only as J.C. first filed a lawsuit against Dylan in August, alleging he had given her drugs and alcohol at his apartment at New York's Chelsea hotel and then "sexually molested and abused" her.
She claimed she had been groomed by the 'Like a Rolling Stone' hitmaker for six weeks beforehand and accused him of attempting to "lower her 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."
The initial suit claimed the timeframe was April and May of 1965 but the amended complaint changed the time period to "the spring" of that year, after it was noted Dylan's tour schedule and other commitments meant he wasn't in New York City during that time.
The 'Blowin' in the Wind' singer's legal team have argued in their new filing that their client was an "easy mark" who J.C.'s lawyers "hoped to profit" from.
They also noted the accuser has publicly claimed to have been abducted by aliens and has the ability to speak to plants, insects, and animals, both alive and dead.
The response stated: "According to her own website, plaintiff is a psychic who specialises in 'channelling' the deceased loved ones of grieving families – for a fee."
But J.C.'s attorney insisted calling out the woman's beliefs was unfair.
Peter J. Gleason told Rolling Stone magazine: "Some people refer to Bob Dylan as a prophet. People have labels. More than half of Americans believe in psychic phenomena.
"If you're going to attack somebody for their beliefs, you're encroaching upon very dangerous territory. This is what this country is based on, freedom of beliefs. It shouldn't divert our attention from the allegations. This case is about the facts."
The woman's lawsuit states she suffers from depression, anxiety and other psychological damages of "permanent and lasting natures" that have left her "incapacitated".
She filed against Dylan just one day before the two-year window outlined in the New York Child Victims Act - which allows victims of child sex abuse to sue their alleged assailants even though their claims would normally be barred by the statute of limitations - expired.
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