A California judge has allowed the civil sexual harassment lawsuit against Marilyn Manson , filed by his former assistant Ashley Walters , to be reconsidered in court after it had previously been dismissed.
The lawsuit, which alleges that the supposed abuses (of a verbal, physical, and sexual nature) 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 timeframe for filing such lawsuits. The latest dismissal decision came just days before the trial, which was scheduled to begin in January, when Judge Steve Cochran ruled that the allegations were filed outside the legal timeframe and could not proceed to court.
Now, Waters will have his case reopened thanks to the new Californian law AB-250, which creates a temporary action for adult victims of sexual assault to present or revive cases that would be barred by the statute of limitations.
With the resumption of the process, the hearing is scheduled for March 27. Manson's lawyer, Howard King , told Rolling Stone that the claim "will not survive" future legal challenges, maintaining the musician's denial of the accusations.
“Ashley Walters was granted the right to file a specific sexual assault complaint under the newly enacted law, a complaint that will not survive the next summary judgment motion. The undeniable fact is that Mr. Brian Warner [Marilyn Manson's birth name] never committed any sexual assault,” said Howard King.
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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