Topline
Singer Marilyn Manson sued actress Evan Rachel Wood—who publicly accused Manson of sexual abuse last year—for defamation and emotional distress Wednesday, two weeks before a documentary about Manson’s alleged treatment of Wood is set to premiere on HBO.
Marilyn Manson and Evan Rachel Wood.
Key Facts
Manson, whose real name is Brian Warner, sued his ex-fiancée, Wood, and her “on-again, off-again romantic partner” Ashley “Illma” Gore for publicly painting him as “as a rapist and abuser—a malicious falsehood that has derailed Warner’s successful music, TV and film career,” according to the suit, which was filed in Los Angeles Superior Court and obtained by Forbes.
In the suit, Manson claimed that Wood and Gore enacted a “conspiracy” to tarnish him by providing “checklists and scripts to prospective accusers, listing the specific alleged acts of abuse that they should claim against Warner,” alleged copies of which were included in the filing.
Manson claimed Wood and Gore impersonated an FBI agent through a letter, a purported copy of which was also included in the filing, and said Gore created fake email accounts impersonating Manson and his attorney and hacked his email and social media accounts.
Though HBO is not named as a defendant in Manson’s suit, his lawyer Howard King told Forbes in a statement that Wood’s documentary Phoenix Rising—which premieres on HBO on March 15—is “one-sided” and HBO and the project’s producers “have thus far chosen to proceed without regard for the facts.”
Manson is seeking an unspecified amount in damages to be determined during trial.
Forbes has reached out to Wood and Gore for comment.
Key Background
Wood and Manson dated from 2007 to 2010, when she was 20 and he was 38. Wood, who is known for her roles in the television shows Westworld and True Blood, had said previously that she was abused by an ex, and in February 2021 she publicly named Manson as her abuser in an Instagram post, writing that the singer began “grooming” her when she was a teenager. In the first part of Phoenix Rising, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January, Wood claimed Manson “essentially raped” her while filming a music video for his song “Heart-Shaped Glasses.” “We had discussed a simulated sex scene, but once the cameras were rolling, he started penetrating me for real. I had never agreed to that. . . . I did not feel safe,” she said, according to Rolling Stone (Manson denied this through his lawyer). Several other women have accused Manson of multiple forms of abuse, all of which he denied. His former assistant Ashley Waters sued him in May for sexual assault, battery and harassment, and actress Esmé Bianco sued him in April for sexual assault and sex trafficking. In November, Manson’s Los Angeles-area home was raided by the authorities as part of an investigation into the claims of abuse made against him.
Further Reading
Marilyn Manson: The Monster Hiding in Plain Sight (Rolling Stone)
Marilyn Manson Sues Evan Rachel Wood Over Alleged “Malicious Falsehood” Of Abuse Claims; ‘Westworld’ Actress Forged FBI Letter, Suit Claims (Deadline)
Marilyn Manson—Amid Sexual Abuse Investigation—Loses Grammy Nomination For Unknown Reason (Forbes)
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/marisadellatto/2022/03/02/marilyn-manson-sues-sexual-abuse-accuser-evan-rachel-wood-ahead-of-hbo-documentary/