Marilyn Manson has withdrawn his lawsuit against Evan Rachel Wood and abandoned a related appeal attempting to revive his previous defamation claim.
The controversial musician, whose real name is Brian Warner, has agreed to pay nearly £327,000 in Wood’s attorneys’ fees, according to legal documents obtained by Rolling Stone.
The lawsuit, filed in March 2022, came weeks before the release of the two-part documentary, Phoenix Rising, in which Wood detailed her allegations of rape and sexual abuse against Warner. The suit alleged that Wood and co-defendant Illma Gore impersonated an FBI agent, sending fraudulent letters to Warner’s associates in an effort to orchestrate a conspiracy against him.
Warner initially sought to settle the lawsuit this past spring while simultaneously appealing a judge’s rulings against him. His initial offer was to pay a portion of Wood’s fees in exchange for keeping the settlement confidential, apart from releasing a mutually agreed-upon statement. Wood rejected this offer, unwilling to agree to confidentiality or other proposed terms.
Wood’s legal team, including Michael Kump, Shawn Holley, and Katherine Kleindienst of Kinsella Holley Iser Kump Steinsapir LLP, stated that Warner subsequently agreed to drop his suit against Wood entirely and pay her full lawyers’ fees.
A representative for Wood commented on the outcome, stating that Warner’s lawsuit was a publicity stunt aimed at undermining the credibility of his accusers and reviving his career. They emphasised that his attempt to silence and intimidate Wood had failed.
Warner’s attorney, Howard King, provided a statement to Rolling Stone, saying that after four years of fighting a battle where he was able to tell the truth, Warner was pleased to dismiss his pending claims and appeal to close this chapter of his life.
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The legal dispute began in February 2021 when Wood publicly named Warner as her abuser in an Instagram post. Following her statement, more than a dozen women came forward with allegations of sexual abuse against Warner. Several women filed civil suits, some of which have ended in settlement or dismissal.
In May 2023, a judge struck down many of Warner’s claims, including his allegation that Wood recruited women to speak out against him. In February 2024, a judge ordered Warner to pay Wood $326,956 for her defence fees and $169,408 to Gore under California’s anti-SLAPP statute.
Warner’s legal team filed a 92-page appeal in August, which they were advocating for at the time he decided to drop the suit. Wood had previously stated on The View in March 2022 that she was willing to allow Warner’s lawsuit against her to go to trial if necessary, expressing confidence that the truth would come out.
