Marilyn Manson sued for sexual assault of a minor
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Another lawsuit has been filed against embattled musician Marilyn Manson over claims of sexual abuse.
An anonymous woman identified as Jane Doe accuses Manson, real name Brian Warner, of grooming and sexually assaulting her multiple times in the 1990s, beginning when she was 16 and continuing into adulthood.
In the lawsuit reviewed by EW, the woman says she met Manson in 1995 after an all-ages concert in Dallas promoted by record labels Interscope and Trent Reznor's now-defunct Nothing Records at the age of 16. The woman alleges Manson performed "various acts of criminal sexual conduct" on her on his tour bus, including forced copulation and vaginal penetration.
The complaint states that although the woman "was in pain, scared, upset, humiliated, and confused," Manson then "laughed at her" and threatened to "kill her and her family" if she told anyone about what transpired. She accuses Manson of laying the "groundwork necessary to intimidate and control her," and, in the years that followed, perpetuating his "grooming, manipulation, exploitation, and sexual assault" of her.
Jo Hale/Redferns/Getty Images Marilyn Manson
The lawsuit also lists record labels Interscope and Nothing Records as defendants, accusing the labels of negligence, intentional infliction of emotional distress, and other charges. It alleges the labels were "well aware" of Manson's "obsession with sexual violence and childhood sexual assault" and "aided and abetted such behavior."
"For too long, music industry predators have hidden in plain sight, believing they are above the law," Jeff Anderson, one of Jane Doe's attorneys, said in a statement. "Today, we are demanding Warner face retribution, so he knows he will no longer escape his day in court. This is a day of reckoning."
Howard King, an attorney for Manson, denied the allegations and said his client "does not know this individual and has no recollection of ever having met her 28 years ago." King told EW in a statement, "She has been shopping her fabricated tale to tabloids and on podcasts for more than two years. . . Brian will not submit to this shakedown — and the courts won't fall for it either."
Interscope and Reznor didn't immediately respond to EW's request for comment about the lawsuit, which was filed Monday in New York under the New York Adult Survivors Act, a new law that temporarily allows survivors to file cases previously barred by the statute of limitations.
At least 15 women, including actress Evan Rachel Wood, have accused Manson of sexual assault and abuse over the last few years. At least four of them, including Game of Thrones actress Esmé Bianco, have filed lawsuits against the musician over the allegations. Two of the lawsuits have since been dismissed, and Bianco's was just settled this month.
Manson has "vehemently denied any and all claims of sexual assault or abuse of anyone" through his lawyers. He has also filed a defamation lawsuit against Wood and her girlfriend, Ilma Gore, accusing the pair of fabricating sexual abuse allegations to ruin his reputation.
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