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Marilyn Manson wins sexual assault lawsuit against his former assistant Ashley Walters. In his ruling on Tuesday (December 16), the judge said the evidence showed Ms Walters’ claims were outside the statute of limitations and could not be revived based on her argument that her memories of the alleged abuse had been suppressed.
“We have a situation here where the lawsuit was filed approximately 10 years after the relevant events. I cannot find that the late discovery rule applies,” Los Angeles County Judge Steve Cochran said at the morning hearing. “I have no authority to rule that the doctrine of delayed discovery applies in the circumstances of this case.”
Lawyers’ reactions and possible appeal
An attorney for Walters said she would consider an appeal. “We are disappointed. We believe this decision is wrong. The delayed discovery rule applies specifically to situations where victims of sexual abuse should have the right to seek justice when the perpetrator has used tactics to prevent them from coming forward,” Walters’ attorney Kate McFarlane told Rolling Stone after the hearing.
“This is something we see again and again and it seems that the law has not kept pace with the science and what is right for victims. But I don’t think this is the end of the road.”
In her lawsuit, Walters alleged that Manson, born Brian Warner, lured her into a job in 2010 with compliments on her photography and the offer of an artistic collaboration. She claims Warner later whipped her, threw plates at her, restrained her, bit her ear, forced her hand into his underwear and threatened her.
She recalled how Warner threw a prop skull at his former fiancée Evan Rachel Wood’s head “so hard” that it allegedly left “a big, raised welt on her stomach.” Warner denied the allegations.
Marilyn Manson, abuse of power and previous allegations
“It’s gratifying that after all these years a judge will simply look at the facts and once again find that Brian Warner was wrongly accused,” Warner’s attorney, Howard King, said after the motion’s success. “It’s good for him that justice was done for him, even if it came at great personal cost. Now he can move on.”
During the hearing, McFarlane argued that Walters deserved to have her lawsuit reopened because she was allegedly manipulated by Warner in a manner akin to child sexual abuse. She urged the court to consider cases where children suffered from repressed memories before seeking justice as adults.
“Here we have a young woman who was in her 20s and her employer who was in his 40s. There’s an innate power dynamic there,” she argued. “He’s a very well-known, influential celebrity with a lot of power in the industry, a lot of influence. This is a young woman who had just come of age and was being manipulated by someone with a lot of power.”
Walters came public in February 2021 when several women, including Wood, first accused Warner of severe physical and emotional abuse. A previous judge dismissed Walters’ lawsuit in May 2022 because he found the allegations too old. Walters appealed the ruling and had her case reinstated on appeal.
Warner, 56, has reached out-of-court settlements with several of his accusers, including actress Esmé Bianco. He had previously decided to drop the lawsuit against Wood.