Marilyn Manson has secured a legal victory after a Los Angeles judge dismissed a sexual battery lawsuit filed by his former assistant, effectively ending a case that had been scheduled for trial next month.
As per Rolling Stone, Los Angeles County Judge Steve Cochran ruled on Tuesday that Ashley Walters’ claims against the musician, whose real name is Brian Warner, fell outside the statute of limitations and could not be revived under California’s delayed discovery rule. The lawsuit was filed approximately 10 years after the alleged incidents took place.
“We have a situation where the complaint was not filed until about 10 years after the operative events. I’m not able to find that the delayed discovery rule is applicable,” Judge Cochran stated during the morning hearing. “I don’t have the authority to rule that the delayed discovery doctrine would apply under the circumstances that exist in this case.”
Walters had alleged that Warner lured her into employment in 2010 under the pretence of an artistic photography collaboration. According to the lawsuit, she subsequently endured physical abuse including whipping, having plates thrown at her, being pinned down, and being forced to touch Warner inappropriately. The lawsuit also included claims that she witnessed Warner throw a prop skull at his former fiancée Evan Rachel Wood, allegedly causing visible injury.
Walters’ legal team argued that their client deserved consideration under delayed discovery provisions, comparing her situation to cases involving childhood sexual abuse where memories are suppressed. Her lawyer, Kate McFarlane, emphasised the power dynamic between a young woman in her twenties and her employer, a well-established celebrity in his forties.
“We’re disappointed. We think this is the wrong decision. The delayed discovery rule is specifically to address situations where victims of sexual abuse deserve the ability to seek justice when their abuser has used tactics to prevent them from coming forward,” McFarlane told Rolling Stone after the hearing.
Warner’s legal representative, Howard King, expressed satisfaction with the outcome. “It’s gratifying, after all these years, that a judge can just look at the facts and see that once again, Brian Warner was wrongfully accused,” King said. “It’s nice for him to get some justice, though it was at great personal cost. Now he can move on.”
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This case represents one of several legal challenges Warner has faced since February 2021, when multiple women, including Wood, came forward with allegations of physical and emotional abuse. Walters’ original lawsuit was initially dismissed in May 2022 for being filed outside the limitations period, but was later revived on appeal.
Warner has previously reached out-of-court settlements with several accusers and dropped a separate lawsuit against Wood earlier this year.
