Marilyn Manson is dropping a lawsuit that he filed, in 2022, against Evan Rachel Wood and Illma Gore, Rolling Stone reports and Pitchfork can confirm. Manson has also agreed to reimburse Wood nearly $327,000 in attorneys’ fees, her team says. (A judge ruled earlier this year that he had to pay Wood’s legal fees.)
In a statement, one of Wood’s attorneys, Michael J. Kump, said, “Marilyn Manson—whose real name is Brian Warner—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. 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.”
When reached by Pitchfork, Manson’s attorney, Howard E. King, stated, “After four years of fighting a battle where he was able to tell the truth, Brian is pleased to dismiss his still-pending claims and appeal in order to close the door on this chapter of his life.”
In his original complaint, Marilyn Manson claimed that Evan Rachel Wood and Illma Gore (described as Wood’s “on-again, off-again romantic partner”) conspired to cast him publicly “as a rapist and abuser—a malicious falsehood that has derailed Warner’s successful music, TV, and film career.” He also alleged that Gore, in particular, defamed him with statements she made about the filming of his “Groupie” music video.
Elsewhere in the lawsuit, Manson claimed that Wood and Gore “secretly recruited, coordinated, and pressured prospective accusers to emerge simultaneously with allegations of rape and abuse against Warner.” In addition, he said that Wood and Gore impersonated an FBI agent “to create the false appearance that Warner’s alleged ‘victims’ and their families were in danger, and that there was a federal criminal investigation of Warner ongoing.”
Last year, a judge struck down some of Manson’s claims, including his allegation that Wood and Gore recruited women to accuse him of wrongdoing.
Evan Rachel Wood publicly named Marilyn Manson as her alleged abuser in 2021, claiming that the musician groomed and “horrifically abused” her for years. She spoke further about her alleged experiences with Manson in the Phoenix Rising documentary, alleging that he tortured her and also “essentially raped” her during the filming of a music video.
If you or someone you know has been affected by sexual assault or domestic abuse, we encourage you to reach out for support:
RAINN National Sexual Assault Hotline
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1 800 656 HOPE (4673)
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SMS: Text “HELLO” or “HOLA” to 741-741
The National Domestic Violence Hotline
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1-800-799-SAFE (7233)