Marilyn Manson has dropped his defamation lawsuit against actress Evan Rachel Wood and agreed to pay nearly $327,000 in attorneys’ fees.
In February 2021, Wood publicly identified Manson as her abuser, accusing her one-time fiancé of sexual assault, psychological abuse, and various forms of coercion, violence, and intimidation.
Manson, whose real name is Brian Warner, responded by filing a defamation lawsuit in March 2022.
Related Video
In May 2023, a California judge tossed out most of Manson’s defamation suit, citing California’s anti-SLAPP law and its protections on individual free speech. The judge subsequently ordered that Manson pay Wood’s legal fees, which totaled $326,956.
Though Manson initially sought to appeal the ruling, Rolling Stone reports that he has now agreed to drop the lawsuit and pay Wood’s full lawyers’ fees.
“Marilyn Manson filed a lawsuit against Ms. Wood as a publicity stunt to try to undermine the credibility of his many accusers and revive his faltering career. But his attempt to silence and intimidate Ms. Wood failed,” a representative for Wood said in a statement. “As the trial court correctly found, Warner’s claims were meritless. Warner’s decision to finally abandon his lawsuit and pay Ms. Wood her full fee award of almost $327,000 only confirms as much.”
Wood’s accusations led to a flurry of other sexual assault allegations against Manson. The singer has reached settlements with a couple of the women, including Game of Thrones actress Esmé Bianco. Another lawsuit, filed by model Ashley Morgan Smithline was dismissed after she recanted her accusations against the shock rocker.
The newly dropped defamation suit against Wood alleged that the actress “secretly recruited, coordinated, and pressured prospective accusers to emerge simultaneously with allegations of rape and abuse against Warner,” among other claims.
The multiple sexual assault accusations against Manson essentially put a halt to his music career. However, he returned to the stage earlier this year supporting Five Finger Death Punch on tour, and just last week released a new album titled One Assassination Under God – Chapter 1.
This is a developing story…
