Marilyn Manson Comments on New Lawsuit, Shares Full Case Online
Marilyn Manson has commented on the lawsuit he filed against actress Evan Rachel Wood and artist Illma Gore. He posted a short statement on his Instagram, uploaded a full copy of the lawsuit to Google Drive and pasted the link in his account bio.
In February of 2021, Wood ousted Manson as her abuser and several other women he'd been romantically involved with in the past came forward with stories of abuse afterward. The artist, as a result, was dropped from his record label and his agent, he was stripped of some TV roles and the LAPD conducted a wellness check on him in his home after they received a call requesting they do so.
"There will come a time when I can share more about the events of the past year," Manson wrote in his post. "Until then, I'm going to let the facts speak for themselves: [link in bio]."
The musician, whose real name is Brian Warner, filed the suit yesterday (March 2). It lists several complaints: intentional infliction of emotional distress, defamation per se, violation of the Comprehensive Computer Data and Access Fraud Act and impersonation over the internet. His case ultimately argues that Wood and Gore created a conspiracy, using fraud, in order to defame him and profit off of it.
"This action arises from the wrongful and illegal acts done in furtherance of a conspiracy by Defendant Evan Rachel Wood and her on-again, off-again romantic partner, Defendant Ashley Gore, [also known as] Illma Gore, to publicly cast Plaintiff Brian Warner, [publicly known as] Marilyn Manson, as a rapist and abuser — a malicious falsehood that has derailed Warner's successful music, TV and film career," the suit begins.
The document went on to cite Wood and Manson's relationship, which lasted from 2006 until 2010, during which Wood described their relationship as "healthy" and "loving." "This is who I am and this is who I've always wanted to be, and I'm finally with somebody who lets me be who I want to be," the actress is quoted as having said.
It further alleges that Wood didn't accuse Manson of any abuse for a full decade after their relationship ended, until she became involved with Gore, "a grifter who understood that an organized attack on Warner — spearheaded by Wood's own fabricated revelation of rape and abuse — could benefit them both," according to the lawsuit.
The case claims that Wood and Gore "secretly recruited, coordinated and pressured prospective accusers" to provide their own allegations of abuse against Manson. In the process, the lawsuit alleges that the pair impersonated an FBI agent by forging a letter that warned the alleged victims and their families that they could be in danger as a result of the investigation, created checklists and scripts for Manson's previous romantic partners so that they could create a strong argument and made false statements that the musician filmed a video of a minor being sexually assaulted.
Additionally, Manson claims that Gore hacked Manson's personal computers, phones, email and social media accounts after obtaining passwords from his former employees and impersonated him in fake email exchanges, which involved pornography. Finally, he alleges that Gore acted as his concerned friend and suggested the LAPD perform a wellness check on him, and that the pair tipped off the paparazzi so that they would be able to capture the event on camera.
Read the full lawsuit here.