Marilyn Manson Sued for Sexual Assault by ‘Game of Thrones’ Actress Esmé Bianco

Ryan Lattanzio
·4 min read
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Marilyn Manson and his former manager Tony Ciulla have been sued by “Game of Thrones” star Esmé Bianco, with the actress alleging that the singer sexually assaulted and battered her. Bianco, who played Ros on the HBO show, first publicly accused Manson of abuse back in February when his former partner Evan Rachel Wood named the singer as her own alleged abuser.

Bianco filed the formal complaint April 30 in the United States District Court for the Central District of California, also claiming that Manson (whose real name is Brian Warner), along with Ciulla and his management company, broke human trafficking laws in bringing her from London to Los Angeles under the guise that she’d be acting in a music video. The video was never made.

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When Bianco first made allegations against Manson in February, she told New York Magazine that the abuse took place in 2011 when the two were an item.

Here’s what the lawsuit states: “Mr. Warner used drugs, force, and threats of force to coerce sexual acts from Ms. Bianco on multiple occasions. Mr. Warner raped Ms. Bianco in or around May 2011.” The suit also states that Marilyn Manson “committed sexual acts” with Bianco during times when she couldn’t consent or was unconscious. The lawsuit also outlines ways in which Manson battered Bianco: “These acts include spanking, biting, cutting, and whipping Ms. Bianco’s buttocks, breasts, and genitals for Mr. Warner’s sexual gratification — all without the consent of Plaintiff.”

In the wake of the lawsuit on Friday, Bianco also shared a statement: “As millions of survivors like myself are painfully aware, our legal system is far from perfect. This is why I co-created the Phoenix Act, a law which gives precious additional healing time to thousands of domestic violence survivors. But while I fight for a more just legal system, I am also pursuing my right to demand my abuser be held to account, using every avenue available to me.”

She added, “For far too long my abuser has been left unchecked, enabled by money, fame and an industry that turned a blind eye. Despite the numerous brave women who have spoken out against Marilyn Manson, countless survivors remain silenced, and some of their voices will never be heard. My hope is that by raising mine I will help to stop Brian Warner from shattering any more lives and empower other victims to seek their own small measure of justice.”

Bianco claims that Warner and Ciulla violated the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act by employing “fraud” in bringing Bianco to the U.S. to appear in the video for “I Want to Kill You Like They Do in the Movies,” as well as a horror film based on Lewis Carroll works that was never made. “He promised work opportunities that never appeared while inserting himself in her visa process,” the complaint says, by directing “Ms. Bianco to draft paperwork to confirm that she would star in his upcoming film.” The suit adds, “By inserting himself in Ms. Bianco’s visa process, Mr. Warner was able to control Ms. Bianco by threatening to withdraw support if she displeased him.” According to the suit, he prevented Bianco from escaping by locking her in a room.

Bianco also alleges that Manson forced her to provide “unpaid labor… This included serving and preparing food for Mr. Warner and his guests, cleaning his apartment, consulting on his album, providing uncredited backup vocals during the creative process for the album ‘Born Villain,’ and being offered up to his guests and bandmates to ‘spank.'”

Ciulla cut ties with Marilyn Manson back in February. At that time, Manson responded to outpourings of abuse by calling them “horrible distortions of reality.” In February, his record label also dropped him.

“My intimate relationships have always been entirely consensual with like-minded partners,” he wrote at the time. “Regardless of how — and why — others are now choosing to misrepresent the past, that is the truth.”

A contact for Marilyn Manson, who was dropped by music label Loma Vista Recordings in February, was unavailable at press time.

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