Marilyn Manson sexual assault lawsuit reinstated by appeals court
A lawsuit alleging Marilyn Manson of sexual assault, discrimination, battery, and harassment has been reinstated in an appeals court.
In 2021, Manson’s former personal assistant, Ashley Walters, filed the lawsuit, which was initially dismissed due to exceeding California’s two-year statute of limitations. However, the appeals court reversed the decision, citing the application of the delayed discovery rule.
Walters asserted that trauma caused her to repress memories until 2020, protecting the lawsuit under this rule.
“Until she received diagnosis and treatment, Walters [says she] was unable to remember the repressed events, and once she did recall them, she was unable to immediately identify these events as abuse,” the court wrote. |These allegations of suppressed memories and psychological blocking are sufficient to withstand [dismissal].”
Among numerous women who accused Manson of sexual abuse in 2021, Walters was one. In February 2021, his ex-fiancée Evan Rachel Wood accused him of grooming and sexual abuse on Twitter. Subsequently, others, including Game of Thrones actress Esmé Bianco and model Ashley Morgan Smithine, filed lawsuits against him.
In Wood’s account of abuse caused by the singer, she explained that, “I am here to expose this dangerous man and call out the many industries that have enabled him, before he ruins any more lives. I stand with the many victims who will no longer be silent.”
Furthermore, during a recent appearance on the Navigating Narcissism podcast, Wood told host Dr Ramani: “When I realised what a physical impact it was having on me, that was a breaking point, I knew I wasn’t going to be able to stay quiet. I realised my silence was keeping me really sick.”
Manson has consistently refuted all allegations and has yet to comment on the latest development.
For help, advice or more information regarding sexual harassment, assault and rape in the UK, visit the Rape Crisis charity website. In the US, visit RAINN.
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