Rocker Marilyn Manson has dropped his lawsuit against his ex-fiancée, “Westworld” actor Evan Rachel Wood, and agreed to pay her legal fees, lawyers for both parties announced Tuesday.
The move comes 18 months after a Los Angeles County judge dismissed most of the 2022 lawsuits. Manson, whose real name is Brian Warner, claimed that Wood fabricated public allegations that he sexually and physically abused Manson during their relationship and encouraged other women to sexually and physically abuse him. fabricate their own claims.
Manson's lawyer, Howard King, said: “Now that Brian is able to tell the truth after a four-year battle, he is pleased to file an appeal to dismiss the charges that are still pending and close this chapter in his life.'' “There is,” he said. statement.
Manson had appealed the judge's decision, and his attorney contacted Wood in the spring seeking a settlement. Mr. Wood's lawyer announced Tuesday that he had rejected a request to keep the terms confidential.
Mr. Wood's lawyer, Michael J. Kampf, said in a statement that Mr. Manson “filed the lawsuit against Mr. Wood as a publicity stunt to discredit many of his accusers and revive his flagging career.” said. “However, his attempts to silence and intimidate Mr. Wood were unsuccessful.”
Manson agreed to pay Wood nearly $327,000 in legal fees.
The settlement comes nearly four years after an unresolved criminal investigation against the 55-year-old Manson involving multiple women. Outgoing Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascon said in October that his office's sex crimes unit had just discovered new evidence and would decide whether to file charges once the picture is more complete.
The women involved in the criminal case have not been identified, but Game of Thrones actor Esme Bianco said she was among them and criticized the district attorney for taking too long to investigate. did. Bianco settled his own lawsuit against Manson last year.
The Associated Press typically does not publish the names of people who say they were sexually abused unless they come forward publicly, as Wood and Bianco did.
Manson denies any nonconsensual sex.
In 2017, as the #MeToo movement gained momentum, Wood publicly said she had been raped and abused, and in 2018 she testified before a congressional committee about the incident, without naming anyone in either case.
And in a 2020 Instagram post, Wood said Manson was the one who had “horribly abused me for years.” The two came out as a couple in 2007 and were briefly engaged in 2010, but broke up.
Manson's original lawsuit alleges that Wood and another woman, Ashley Gore (also known as Irma Gore in court documents), defamed Manson, intentionally caused emotional distress, and harassed him through music, television, and movies. claims that it derailed his career. They used false pretenses, including fake letters from the FBI, to persuade other women to come forward with sexual abuse allegations and coached them on what to say, according to the report. According to the complaint, Wood had nothing but glowing things to say about Manson during their relationship.
Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Teresa A. Baudet dismissed the portion of the case dealing with a disputed FBI letter in which Mr. Wood denied forgery. Mr. Bode also threw out a section in which Mr. Wood and Mr. Gore allege that they used checklists stored on other women's iPads to make claims of abuse against Manson.
Other parts of the lawsuit allege that Gore hacked Manson's email, phone and social media accounts, created fake emails to fabricate evidence that he was sending illegal pornography, and accused Manson of ” It was left in place because it was not covered by Wood's claims, including the allegation that he “smacked her.” Use prank calls to send authorities to your home.
Part of Mr. Gore's lawsuit was dismissed, and Mr. Manson paid $130,000 in attorney fees.
