Bob Dylan: Woman accuses musician of sexual abuse in 1965

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Bob Dylan performing in France in 2012

Photo: FRED TANNEAU / AFP

The US singer and Nobel laureate in literature Bob Dylan has denied abuse allegations against him.

The assertion was "untrue" and one would vigorously defend against it, said the artist's team of speakers on Monday.

In the lawsuit filed with the New York Supreme Court on Friday, a woman from Greenwich, Connecticut, accused the musician of sexually abusing her when she was twelve in 1965.

Dylan was in his early twenties at the time, according to the lawsuit, using his fame to gain her trust.

He also used alcohol and drugs.

The multiple abuse took place in the Chelsea Hotel in New York, where Dylan temporarily lived.

»JC« is demanding compensation

The allegations include assault and mental suffering.

The 68 year old plaintiff is still suffering from the consequences of the emotional trauma, her lawyers make apply.

She demands damages in an undisclosed amount.

The woman's identity was not disclosed; she is called "JC" in the court records.

The now 80-year-old Dylan - born Robert Allen Zimmerman - has been one of the most influential musicians for decades.

After his breakthrough with the song "Blowin 'In The Wind" (1963), he achieved another global success in 1965 with "Like A Rolling Stone" from the album "Highway 61 Revisited".

Dylan sold more than 100 million records.

In 2016 he received the Nobel Prize for Literature.

With the sale of his song catalog last year to the world's largest music company Universal Music, he is said to have made more than 300 million dollars.

aar / dpa