Marilyn Manson Sued for Alleged Sexual Assault of a Minor

Days after settling one of many sexual assault lawsuits brought against him over the past two years, Marilyn Manson is being sued by a woman who says the musician allegedly groomed and repeatedly assaulted her in the 1990s when she was a minor. Manson (real name: Brian Warner) is the lead defendant in the five-count suit filed in Nassau County, Long Island, along with the Interscope and Nothing Records labels.

The plaintiff, who filed the suit as Jane Doe, says she met Manson after a 1995 Dallas concert when she was 16. After being invited onto the band’s tour bus, she says Manson “performed various acts of criminal sexual conduct” on her, leaving her in pain, scared, upset, humiliated, and confused. After he was done, Defendant Warner laughed at her. Then Defendant Warner demanded Plaintiff to ‘get the fuck off of my bus’ and threatened Plaintiff that, if she told anyone, he would kill her and her family.”

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The plaintiff continued speaking with Manson via a private 1-800 number provided by a crew member and says she began using drugs and alcohol during this time period. She claims Manson asked for explicit photographers of her and her friends, who were still underage.

This pattern of behavior continued as the plaintiff spent more and more time with Manson on tour, when he would “groom, harass, and sexually abuse her.” The woman eventually began dating drummer Chris Vrenna, who at the time was playing in Nine Inch Nails before joining Manson in 2004.

“While she was still a child, Defendant Warner had purposefully and intentionally laid the groundwork necessary to intimidate and control her,” the suit says. “Despite reaching the legal age of majority, that power to psychologically intimidate and control Plaintiff was still present. While in Florida, Plaintiff considered going back home. Plaintiff spoke with Defendant Warner and revealed her vulnerabilities and a general lack of support she felt from her family. As he did on countless occasions, Defendant Warner exploited this vulnerability to keep Plaintiff under his control. Defendant Warner often made Plaintiff feel alone and isolated by telling her that no one understands her other than him, which included her family. At the time, Plaintiff believed Defendant Warner and was compelled to keep following him.”

The suit alleges that Interscope and Nothing were aware of Manson’s behavior and did nothing to intervene. “At no time did Defendant Interscope and Defendant Nothing Records have a reasonable system or procedure in place to investigate, supervise, or monitor its staff and/or agents, including Defendant Warner, to prevent pre-sexual grooming and sexual harassment, molestation, and assault of fans, including minors and women,” it says.

“Defendants Interscope and Nothing Records were aware of Defendant Warner’s practice of sexually assaulting minors, and aided and abetted such behavior,” it continues. “As a result of Brian Warner’s sexual abuse and assault, enabled and encouraged by Defendants Interscope and Nothing Records, Plaintiff has suffered severe emotional, physical, and psychological distress, including shame, and guilt, economic loss, economic capacity and emotional loss. Defendant Interscope and Nothing Records expressly and implicitly represented that the band members, including Defendant Warner, were not a sexual threat to their fans and others who would fall under Defendant Warner’s influence, control direction, and guidance.”

A statement from Manson attorney Howard King reads, “Brian Warner does not know this individual and has no recollection of ever having met her 28 years ago. He certainly was never intimate with her. She has been shopping her fabricated tale to tabloids and on podcasts for more than two years. But even the most minimal amount of scrutiny reveals the obvious discrepancies in her ever-shifting stories as well as her extensive collusion with other false accusers. If anyone actually compares the vicious lies in the new complaint with the contents of prior interviews this woman has given to the press and on podcasts, the remarkable inconsistencies will demonstrate why this misguided action will not survive legal examination. Brian will not submit to this shakedown — and the courts won’t fall for it either.”

Manson has previously been sued for behavior that took place over the past decade-plus, but never for incidents that allegedly happened far back as the mid-1990s. Bianco, along with actress Evan Rachel Wood, was one of more than a dozen women to speak out in 2021 against Manson, who has denied all allegations.

The Bianco case, in which she’d claimed Manson raped and sexually battered her, was settled out of court last week. Another similar case brought against by model Ashley Morgan Smithline was dismissed on Jan. 3, while Manson is also suing Wood and her former partner Illma Gore for defamation and intentional infliction of emotional stress stemming from their allegations about him.

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