Marilyn Manson has had yet another attempt rejected to settle the sexual assault lawsuit filed by his former assistant, Ashley Walters.
According to Rolling Stone, during a hearing last Friday, the 5th, Manson "lost his latest attempt... to end" the lawsuit against Walters because Judge Steve Cochran "refused to dismiss or reduce the allegations in Ashley Walters' third amendment to the complaint."
The lawsuit, which alleges that the supposed abuses (verbal, physical, and sexual) occurred between August 2010 and July 2011 while Walters worked for the artist, was initially filed in 2021 and faced successive rejections due to issues related to the legal time limit for filing such lawsuits. Waters had his lawsuit reopened in January thanks to the new Californian law AB-250, which creates a temporary action for adult victims of sexual assault to file or revive cases that would be barred by the statute of limitations.
Now, Manson's defense argued that the case should be dismissed based on legal issues related to the statute of limitations. However, the court ruled that Walters' allegations can continue to be examined. Manson's lawyer, Alexa Foley, argued that Ashley Walters' allegations "did not meet the criteria to be reopened under the new law and that Walters failed to prove that she was physically restrained during the alleged sexual abuse."
In response, Judge Steve Cochran argued that the accusation contains facts “strong enough to allow the case to proceed while the parties gather evidence to demonstrate whether the alleged sexual assault qualifies for reopening under AB 250 law.” He also said, “What is being alleged would sound like a red herring. With allegations like that, do you think I’m going to be arguing with someone about whether or not it’s sexual assault at this early stage of the process? I’d have trouble sleeping.”
Ashley Walters was offered to the singer's friends so that he could "please" them.
Court documents filed in 2021 by former assistant Ashley Walters allege that, during her time working for Marilyn Manson, she was sexually exploited and even "offered" to the musician's friends and acquaintances without her consent. According to the allegations, Walters says Manson encouraged others to kiss, touch, or "have" her as they pleased, behavior she claims occurred repeatedly while under his professional and personal supervision.
The reports also describe other serious incidents, such as being forced to stay awake for long periods under the influence of drugs, physical abuse and psychological coercion, as well as inappropriate comments and predatory behavior attributed to the singer. Manson also blackmailed the victim through a series of photos he allegedly forced her to take using Nazi artifacts.
This behavior also manifested itself during his relationship with actress Evan Rachel Wood, who allegedly witnessed racist and Nazi-like behavior from the singer, who liked to call her a "Jew" in a derogatory way. These accusations emerged amidst a broader set of accounts from several women who mentioned situations of abuse involving Manson over the past few years.
Sexual abuse allegations against Marilyn Manson
Over the past four years, Manson has been embroiled in a series of legal battles and has been accused by several women, including actress Evan Rachel Wood, of sexual, emotional, and physical abuse. Following the actress's testimony, other women came forward to denounce numerous acts of violence by Manson; among them, actress Esmé Bianco and former assistant Ashley Walters.
Marilyn Manson made his return to the stage in August 2024, performing his first show since the accusations. In November of the same year, he released the album Assassination Under God – Chapter 1 through Nuclear Blast Records after being dropped by his longtime label Loma Vista Recordings and the agency CAA following the accusations.
The singer denied all accusations and sued several of his alleged victims, being acquitted in January 2025 due to lack of evidence. Currently, Manson continues with his tours as normal, although the first show of the European leg of the One Assassination Under God tour was canceled after protests against the musician's misconduct.
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