Bob Dylan's Lawyers Seek Damages After 'Brazen' Abuse Charges

Bob Dylan's lawyers are seeking "monetary damages" against a legal team accusing the musician of committing sexual abuse nearly 60 years ago. 

In the lawsuit, filed in August 2021, a woman identified as J.C. claimed that Dylan sexually abused her in 1965 when she was 12. She initially said the abuse took place in his apartment in Manhattan's Chelsea Hotel over six weeks in April and May of that year, but later expanded her timeframe to "a period of several months in the spring of 1965," according to the Independent.  

A representative for Dylan denied the allegations, telling the outlet at the time that the "56-year-old claim is untrue and will be vigorously defended."

The case was later dropped after Dylan's lawyers said the accuser destroyed key evidence. Now Billboard is reporting that Dylan's lawyers are pursuing sanctions, citing "brazen misconduct." 

In a letter to the judge, Dylan's lead attorney, Orin Snyder, slammed attorneys Daniel Isaacs and Peter Gleason over their "systematic discovery violations" while handling the case. 

"Mr. Isaacs and Mr. Gleason should not have brought this action — accusing defendant of a heinous crime — if they did not intend to responsibly litigate it," wrote Snyder, according to Billboard. "It is more than appropriate to hold them accountable."

Before the lawsuit was scrapped, Dylan's lawyers claimed the woman's legal team was refusing to comply with court orders to provide evidence after allegedly deleting key text messages and emails that were relevant to the case, the Independent noted.

Dylan's lawyers asserted that the lawsuit was a “lawyer-driven sham” while stating it was "outrageous that it was ever brought in the first place."

Isaacs responded in a letter filed Tuesday, saying that the lawsuit was "brought in good faith and with the intent of responsibly litigating the matter."

He blamed the problems on the "recalcitrance" of his client, who allegedly refused to hand over key materials despite repeated requests.

"At no point did either Mr. Gleason or I willfully withhold discovery or engage in discovery misconduct," Isaacs wrote. "We attempted to comply as best we could given the circumstances, including plaintiff suffering PTSD, which was exacerbated when her identity was illegally made public following the commencement of this action."

In their filing, Dylan's attorneys argued that the materials were documents that the accuser's lawyers "should have possessed and reviewed before ever bringing this lawsuit in the first place."

"Many of the documents we have seen, including scores of emails between plaintiff and key third parties whom counsel apparently never even bothered to interview, undermine and contradict plaintiff’s allegations," Snyder wrote.

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