Marilyn Manson (aka Brian Warner) is seeking to revive some previously dismissed claims of his defamation lawsuit against his ex-fiancée Evan Rachel Wood and her associate Ilma Gore. Wood‘s initial allegations of suffering abuse at the hands of Manson back in 2021 saw over a dozen women come forward against the shock rock icon with claims of a similar nature. Several of those alleged victims filed civil suits against Manson, alleging sexual assault and more.
It’s been a long and winding road since, with settlements, dismissals, appeals and and even one suit being dropped after the accuser recanted her allegations. Ashley Morgan Smithline was the accuser who dropped her suit against Manson, later claiming she was manipulated into making the allegations by Wood, Gore and several other related individuals. Wood denied Smithline‘s claims.
Manson‘s attempts to have Smithline‘s recantation used as evidence in the defamation suit were denied by a judge back in May of 2023. You can hone up on Manson‘s various legal happenings over the past few years in this past story. As for this latest development, it pertains to the defamation suit Manson filed against Wood and Gore back in March of 2022.
In that complaint Manson alleged the aforementioned duo had served as ringleaders in coaxing several women into coming forward with allegations against him. The complaint also alleged that Wood and Gore impersonated an FBI officer over the internet to give credence to their claims, while further alleging the pair gained access to his personal email, etc. accounts via his former personal assistant Ashley Walters. Walters is also currently suing Manson for sexual assault and more.
In May of 2023, several of Manson‘s claims in that defamation suit against Wood and Gore were struck down by a judge, including his allegations of Wood and Gore coaching and orchestrating several women in coming forward against Manson, as well as the claims of impersonating an FBI agent.
Upon those claims being struck down, Manson‘s attorney Howard King vowed to appeal, telling Rolling Stone at the time:
“The failure to admit this critical evidence [Smithline‘s sworn declaration], along with the Court’s decision to not consider Ms. Gore’s iPad, the contents of which demonstrated how she and Ms. Wood crafted a forged FBI letter, will be the subject of an immediate appeal to the California Court of Appeal.”
Per a new report from Rolling Stone, Manson‘s appeal on that matter is now making its way through the courts, with Manson submitting what he claims is evidence of the allegedly forged letter of an FBI investigation. This latest filing also asserts that Wood only filed a declaration that she herself did not forge the letter.
Manson‘s legal team alleged, “the forged letter would be used to recruit, encourage, and convince people to claim that they were abused by Warner, because they were being led to believe that Warner was a threat to their safety and under federal investigation.”
His legal team further claim that the letter is evidence that Wood and co. actively “campaigned” against him. In light of the several claims that have been struck down from Manson‘s defamation suit thus far, he was ordered to pay $496,364 of Wood‘s legal fees in relation to the suit.
Several of his claims remain before the courts though and are expected to go to trial, including his allegations of Wood and Gore impersonating him on the internet, gaining unauthorized access to his electronic accounts and computer and that they were being a ‘swatting’ phone call with sent authorities to Manson‘s residence.
