Former assistant’s sexual assault lawsuit against Marilyn Manson dismissed
A judge has dismissed a sexual assault and battery lawsuit against Marilyn Manson by his former assistant, Ashley Walters.
A trial had been due to begin next month, but, following the ruling by the judge in Los Angeles, it will no longer go ahead.
Walters, who served as Manson’s personal assistant between 2010 and 2011, first filed the lawsuit. However, it was initially dismissed due to exceeding California’s two-year statute of limitations, before being reinstated in 2023 through the appeals court.
The application of the delayed discovery rule was cited as a reason for the lawsuit being reinstated in 2021; however, the judge has now stated that it is not applicable to the case.
At the hearing on December 16th, Los Angeles County Judge Steve Cochran said (via Rolling Stone), “We have a situation where the complaint was not filed until about 10 years after the operative events. I’m not able to find that the delayed discovery rule is applicable.”
Cochran continued, “I don’t have the authority to rule that the delayed discovery doctrine would apply under the circumstances that exist in this case.”
Following the ruling, Walters’ lawyer, Kate McFarlane, expressed her disappointment in the decision to Rolling Stone.
McFarlane said, “We’re disappointed. We think this is the wrong decision. The delayed discovery rule is specifically to address situations where victims of sexual abuse deserve the ability to seek justice when their abuser has used tactics to prevent them from coming forward.”
The lawyer continued, “This is something we see time and time again, and it seems the law hasn’t caught up to the science and what’s right for victims. But I don’t believe this is the end of the road.”
In her lawsuit, Walters accused Manson, real name Brian Warner, of verbal, physical, and psychological abuse during her time working for him, as well as alleging she saw him physically assault his former fiancée, Evan Rachel Wood, with a prop skull. Warner denied these claims.
Following the judge’s ruling, Warner’s lawyer, Howard King, said, “It’s gratifying, after all these years, that a judge can just look at the facts and see that once again, Brian Warner was wrongfully accused. “It’s nice for him to get some justice, though it was at great personal cost. Now he can move on.”
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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