Ashley Morgan Smithline is the fourth woman to file a lawsuit against Marilyn Manson, whose real name is Brian Warner, accusing the rocker of rape, sexual battery, emotional distress, human trafficking, and more allegations in the suit filed on June 29.
Videos by American Songwriter
The model says Manson first contacted her during the summer of 2010 because he reportedly wanting to cast her in a film, a remake of 1993 crime drama True Romance, and asked her to send photos of herself, saying she “was the perfect girl for him.” Manson allegedly flew Smithline, who was living and working in Bangkok at the time, to Los Angeles in November of 2020 and soon asked her to move in with him, according to the lawsuit. In the suit, Smithline says that Warner’s encouragement to move to Los Angeles with the promise of work violates the Trafficking Victims Protection Act.
“Mr. Warner knew these offers to be fraudulent,” read the suit. “No effort was made to complete production of the film project and to date nothing from that project has been published. Mr. Warner merely used the film project as a pretense to lure Ms. Smithline to the United States.”
Smithline, who entered into a consensual sexual relationship with Warner and continued to see him through January of 2013, says he would often berate her and tell her to wear lingerie and makeup around his apartment and claims she once woke from an unconscious state, bound by her wrists and ankles with Warner penetrating her. She recounted several other incidents that took place over several months, including Manson forcing her to bed, putting a pillow over her head to stop her from saying “no,” choking, whipping, and using a knife to cut her shoulder and inner arm, and branded “MM” into her thigh, leaving a permanent mark.
Smithline says she didn’t break off her relationship because Warner threatened her life an to “ruin her” with the provocative photos he had of her.
In the past year, three additional lawsuits were filed against Warner, including those by his former personal assistant Ashley Walters, Game of Thrones actress Esmé Bianco, and another women who chose to remain anonymous. All are among more than a dozen women who have come forward with claims of sexual misconduct against Warner within the past year.
In February of 2021, Westworld actress, and former Manson girlfriend and fiancée, Evan Rachel Wood, who dated Manson when she was 18 and he was 36, revealed in an Instagram post that Warner was her “abuser.” She went on to say that Warner “groomed” her as a teen and “horrifically abused” her during their time together. “I am here to expose this dangerous man and call out the many industries that have enabled him, before he ruins any more lives,” said Wood in her post. “I stand with the many victims who will no longer be silent.”
“We strongly deny Ms. Smithline’s claims,” said a rep for Warner in a recent statement. “There are so many falsehoods within her claims that we wouldn’t know where to begin to answer them. This relationship, to the limited extent it was a relationship, lasted less than a week in 2010. Manson hasn’t seen Ms. Smithline since then.”
In February 2021, Manson’s ex-wife, burlesque artist Dita Von Teese, who was married to Warner from 2005 through 2007, addressed their relationship, saying it declined due to his drug use and infidelity, and that there was no abuse involved. “The details made public do not match my personal experience,” said Von Teese on her Instagram post, which has been since removed. “Abuse of any kind has no place in any relationship. I urge those of you who have incurred abuse to take steps to heal and the strength to fully realize yourself.”
Following the recently lawsuits and allegations, Manson’s record label, Loma Vista Recording, booking agent and manager have cut ties with the artist. Additionally, AMC recently dropped Manson from an upcoming appearance on Creepshow, while Starz removed Manson from the remaining episode of American Gods.
