LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: It’s a hard road for Marilyn Manson after a Californian judge kneecapped his lawsuit against ex-fiancee Evan Rachel Wood. The shock-rocker artist accused his one-time girlfriend of ‘fabricating’ an FBI letter and sexual abuse claims causing inflicting emotional distress. Manson, whose original name is Brian Warner, sued Wood, and her girlfriend Ashley Gore in March 2022, alleging the couple plotted to fabricate sexual abuse allegations against him and force other women to follow similar claims.
Manson, alleges that the pair secretly enlisted women for years to accuse him and further coordinated a falsified letter to the FBI on the subject. It was all done to garner publicity for their film project. Wood had publicly accused Manson, her former fiancé of being the rapist and in February 2021, graphically described severe sexual abuse at Manson’s hands.
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'A malicious falsehood'
Several other women also came forward and accused Manson of the same brutal crime after Wood’s accusation. Mansion called the accusation by Wood “a malicious falsehood that has derailed Warner’s successful music, TV, and film career,” as per court documents. Judge Teresa Beaudet, in her 37-page ruling, pointed at the loopholes in the lawsuit, weakening Manson's claim, reports Law&Crime.
However, the judge did not rule out the FBI letter authentication but pointed out that even if it is fabricated, it was used in litigation and therefore “protected activity” for purposes of the anti-SLAPP statute. Beaudet further said it was not enough to consider the case to the level of “extreme and outrageous conduct” to whatever use Wood and Gore may have made of a checklist regarding women to potentially go public with claims against Manson.
'Very pleased with the Court’s ruling'
“We are very pleased with the Court’s ruling, which affirms and protects Evan’s exercise of her fundamental First Amendment rights,” said Michael Kump, Evan Rachel Wood’s attorney via email. “As the Court correctly found, Plaintiff failed to show that his claims against her have even minimal merit.” The trial on Manson’s remaining claims is scheduled for May 1, 2024.