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A Californian judge rejected shock singer Marilyn Manson‘s (also known as Brian Warner) attempts to have a civil sexual assault action brought against him by his former personal assistant Ashley Waters dismissed, as per theprp. Since this lawsuit was initially brought against Manson in 2021, it has been a difficult journey. Citing claimed instances between 2010 and 2011, Walters’ initial complaint accused Manson of sexual harassment, sexual assault, sexual abuse, causing emotional distress, and violating multiple Californian civil statutes.
The judge expressed worries about the statute of limitations being exceeded and “too few facts” being offered, leading to the suit’s dismissal in May of 2022. But in December 2023, a rule of delayed discovery brought the revised action back to life. Then, in December 2025, the lawsuit was dismissed once more due to issues with the statute of limitations and whether the delayed discovery rule applied to the case, which included charges based on repressed memories. Although that seemed to be the end of the lawsuit, Walters was able to resurrect it this past January because to AB 250, a new statute passed in California this year.
A fresh temporary window of opportunity was created by AB 250 enabling adult survivors of alleged sexual abuse to file claims that had previously been rejected due to statute of limitations issues. A judge rejected Manson‘s legal team’s plea to have Walters’ most recent amended complaint against Manson dismissed or changed on June 5th. According to Rolling Stone, Manson‘s attorney Alexa Foley made an unsuccessful attempt to claim that Walters “couldn’t meet the standard of showing she was physically restrained during her alleged sexual assault” and that, as a result, AB 250 shouldn’t apply to the case. However, the judge claimed that the case was too early to issue such rulings, choosing instead to give additional time for the collection and presentation of evidence.
Rolling Stone received comments from the prosecution’s and the defendant’s legal teams regarding these recent developments.
This was not unexpected. It’s a clear invitation for a summary judgment motion. The judge telegraphed explicitly that we’re not at the right stage of the case yet. – Howard King, Manson’s attorney
We are obviously pleased. We truly take the inspiration to keep fighting from our client. She’s the brave one. -Bina Ahmad, Walter’s lawyer
The next case management conference is set for August of this year. After Evan Rachel Wood, Manson‘s ex-fiance, came up with allegations of abuse against him in February 2021, he was slapped with multiple civil actions pertaining to sexual assault. Since then, Esmé Bianco and another unnamed complainant have struck a settlement with Manson. Ashley Morgan Smithline withdrew and recanted another lawsuit she had filed against him. In addition, Bianca Allaine Kyne sued Manson for sexual assault, claiming that the occurrences occurred in the 1990s.
Manson has refuted the accusations made against him and filed a defamation lawsuit against Wood, alleging that she and her friend Ilma Gore acted as ringleaders in encouraging other women to make accusations against him. Manson subsequently withdrew that complaint after experiencing multiple legal defeats.
