Shock Rocker Abandons His Legal Battle After a Judge Dismissed Key Claims
Rocker Marilyn Manson, whose real name is Brian Warner, has ended his high-profile defamation lawsuit against actress Evan Rachel Wood, agreeing to pay her nearly $327,000 in legal fees.
Manson filed the lawsuit in March 2022, accusing Wood of orchestrating a campaign to discredit him and alleging defamation, emotional distress, and other claims. The lawsuit followed Wood’s public allegations that Manson had abused her during their relationship, which lasted from 2006 to 2010.
On Tuesday, Wood’s attorney, Michael Kump, described Manson’s legal action as a failed “publicity stunt.”
“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,” Kump said in a statement. “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…confirms as much.”
Manson’s attorney, Howard E. King, framed the decision to settle as a way for the rocker to move on.
“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,” King said in a statement.
Manson’s lawsuit faced significant setbacks earlier this year when a Los Angeles judge dismissed 10 of his claims under California’s anti-SLAPP statute. This law is designed to prevent frivolous lawsuits that stifle free speech. The judge ruled in May 2023 that Manson had not demonstrated he could substantiate many of his accusations against Wood. Manson had appealed that decision in August but ultimately chose to withdraw the case.
Wood, 37, accused Manson of abuse in 2021, stating she was “horrifically abused” during their relationship. While she did not initially name Manson in a 2016 interview with Rolling Stone where she discussed being raped by a former partner, she later identified him as her alleged abuser.
The dismissal of Manson’s lawsuit comes nearly four years into a criminal investigation involving multiple women accusing the 55-year-old musician of sexual misconduct. Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón’s office said in October that new evidence had been discovered and that a decision on whether to file charges would be made once the investigation was complete.
One of Manson’s accusers, actress Esme Bianco, settled her lawsuit against him in 2022. Bianco has publicly criticized the lengthy pace of the criminal investigation. Warner has denied the allegations against but has settled a majority of the lawsuits.
