A Los Angeles court has dismissed a 2021 lawsuit accusing Brian Warner, Marilyn Manson, of sexual assault, according to a recent report.
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On Dec. 3, U.S. District Judge Fernando L. Aenlle-Rocha dismissed the case originally filed in June 2021 by model Ashley Morgan Smithline —who sued Warner for sexual assault and battery, unlawful imprisonment, and intentional infliction of emotional distress in 2010 —after the plaintiff did not meet the December 2021 deadline to acquire new representation for herself in court.
Prior to Smithline’s deadline, Jay Ellwanger withdrew as her attorney in October 2021. The plaintiff can refile the case with new representation.
“We thank and commend Ashley Smithline for dismissing her claims against Brian Warner without seeking or receiving anything in return,” said Warner’s attorney Howard King in a statement. “Ms. Smithline has refused to be manipulated by others who are trying to pursue their own agendas against Mr. Warner. We wish her well and will continue to work to assure that a significant price will be paid by those who have tried to abuse our legal system.”
In September 2021, the investigation into sexual assault allegations against Warner was completed by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department and turned over to the district attorney’s office, but more information was requested before considering possible criminal charges against the artist.
Warner has denied all the allegations presented by Smithline and multiple women who have also accused the singer of sexual and physical abuse since 2021.
In February of 2021, the investigation into Warner began after actress Evan Rachel Wood, who dated the singer when she was 18 and he was 36, revealed on social media that she was abused by her ex-fiancé for years during their relationship. “He started grooming me when I was a teenager and horrifically abused me for years,” wrote Wood. “I was brainwashed and manipulated into submission.'”
Warner later filed a defamation lawsuit against Wood.
Following Wood’s accusations, several other women came forward alleging that they also suffered physical and sexual abuse by Warner, and some have filed individual civil lawsuits. Model Sarah McNeilly claims that Manson “tortured” her, locked her in rooms, and threw her against a wall. Ashley Walters also said that she experiences PTSD from her abusive relationship with Manson, while a woman named “Gabriella” also accused Manson of abuse, and said that he cut her during sex and took photos of her nude without her permission.
The Los Angeles County district attorney’s office continues to weigh whether to press criminal charges against Warner, following the sexual abuse investigation conducted by the county sheriff’s department.
