American singer-songwriter Marilyn Manson has taken actor Evan Rachel Wood to court on grounds of defamation over her sexual abuse allegations against him, which the musician has claimed are a “malicious falsehood”.
According to Variety, in the complaint filed in LA Superior Court by Manson, whose legal name is Brian Warner, he alleged that Wood and “her on-again, off-again romantic partner” Ashley Gore has “publicly cast” him as a “rapist and abuser”.
He claimed that this was a “malicious falsehood that has derailed Warner’s successful music, TV and film career.”
The filing further stated that Wood and Gore impersonated an FBI agent “by forging and distributing a fictitious letter from the agent, to create the false appearance that Warner’s alleged ‘victims’ and their families were in danger, and that there was a federal criminal investigation of Warner ongoing.”
It also alleged that Wood and Gore “provided checklists and scripts” to accusers and “made knowingly false statements,” including that Manson “filmed the sexual assault of a minor.”
Manson has requested a jury trial and is also alleging intentional infliction of emotional distress, violation of the Comprehensive Computer Data and Access Fraud Act and impersonation over the internet. Wood was among several women that came forward last year with claims of sexual abuse against Manson.
In an Instagram post made at the time, Wood wrote, “The name of my abuser is Brian Warner, also known to the world as Marilyn Manson. He started grooming me when I was a teenager and horrifically abused me for years. I was brainwashed and manipulated into submission.”
She added, “I am done living in fear of retaliation, slander, or blackmail. I am here to expose this dangerous man and call out the many industries that have enabled him before he ruins any more lives. I stand with the many victims who will no longer be silent.”
Manson and Wood had made their relationship public back in 2007 when she had been 19 and the musician 38. The duo got engaged in 2010 but broke up later that year. Since the allegations against Manson surfaced, he has dropped by his record label, manager and CAA, as well as from a role in the show ‘American Gods’.
Manson’s lawsuit against Wood comes on the heels of her documentary ‘Phoenix Rising’, which premiered at Sundance and debuts on HBO on March 15.
In the doc, Wood also claimed that Manson raped her on the set of the music video for his 2007 single ‘Heart-Shaped Glasses’. She had alleged that during a previously discussed “simulated sex scene,” the rocker “started penetrating me for real,” once the cameras were rolling. “I had never agreed to that,” said Wood.
According to the star, she was fed absinthe on the set of the video where she played a Lolita-styled character. Wood also said she was barely conscious to object to the 53-year-old’s alleged actions.
As Per Variety, ‘Phoenix Rising’ further delves into Woods’ allegations against Manson and dives into the passage of Wood’s Phoenix Act, legislation that extended the statute of limitations for domestic violence cases in California. (ANI)
