Evan Rachel Wood said she was “endlessly proud of all the survivors” who shared their allegations against Marilyn Manson after prosecutors declined to bring criminal charges against the musician.
Wood was one of the first people to publicly accuse Manson (real name Brian Warner), claiming he groomed her as a teenager and “horrifically abused” her during their on-again, off-again relationship between 2006 and 2011. Over a dozen more women came forward with allegations against Warner, and a criminal investigation was launched. (Warner has repeatedly denied all the allegations against him.)
But on Friday, Jan. 24, the Los Angeles District Attorney’s office said it would not bring charges against Warner. They said the domestic violence claims against Warner fell outside the statute of limitations, and the sexual assault charges could not be proven beyond a reasonable doubt.
In response, Wood said, “Evidence of violent crimes should not have an expiration date. I am grateful for the work law enforcement has done, and I am endlessly proud of all the survivors who risked everything to protect others by speaking the truth.”
She continued: “We always knew that the statute of limitations would be a barrier, which is why we created the Phoenix Act — so that other victims wouldn’t have to experience this outcome.”
Marilyn Manson Drops Lawsuit Against Evan Rachel Wood
The rock musician sued Wood and Illma Gore in 2022, alleging that they conspired to cast him publicly “as a rapist and abuser”
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.”
Model Ashley Morgan Smithline has detailed the alleged sexual abuse and sex assaults that her ex-boyfriend, Marilyn Manson, inflicted upon her. Full article here (Rolling Stone)
