Marilyn Manson withdraws defamation lawsuit against ex

Surprising development in the legal dispute between Marilyn Manson (55) and his ex-partner Evan Rachel Wood (37): the shock rocker has withdrawn his defamation lawsuit against the actress after two years. According to an agreement reached on November 19th, the 55-year-old Wood must also pay around 327,000 US dollars (the equivalent of around 311,000 euros) for her legal fees.

“After four years of fighting to tell the truth, Brian is content to drop his pending claims and an appeal to close this chapter of his life,” Manson’s attorney, Howard King, told the magazine.

The musician, whose real name is Brian Warner, filed the lawsuit in March 2022.

The opposing side, however, sees the withdrawal of the lawsuit as an admission: “Marilyn Manson filed the lawsuit as a publicity stunt to undermine the credibility of his many accusers and to revive his stumbling career,” Evan Rachel Wood said through a spokesman. “But his attempt to silence and intimidate me failed.”

The “publicity stunt” may also be referring to Marilyn Manson’s new album, “One Assassination Under God – Chapter 1,” which he released on November 22nd.

Wood publicly accused Manson of sexually abusing her during their relationship via an Instagram post in February 2021. The now 37-year-old was in a relationship with the musician, who was 18 years her senior, from mid-2006 to the beginning of 2011. In the HBO documentary “Phoenix Rising” she made serious allegations – among other things, Manson is said to have raped her in front of the camera during the filming of a music video in 2007. The musician always denied the allegations as “terrible distortions of reality.”

In March 2022, Manson filed a lawsuit against Wood and her alleged “romantic partner”, the American-Australian artist Illma Gore (32). He accused them of pressuring other women to make false accusations against him and posing as FBI agents. In total, at least 15 women accused the shock rocker of sexual abuse.