In a recent legal development, Marilyn Manson faces a financial setback as Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Teresa A. Beaudet has ruled in favor of Evan Rachel Wood. Manson had initiated a defamation and emotional distress lawsuit against Wood, which was largely dismissed in May of the previous year. Judge Beaudet has now ordered Manson to reimburse Wood’s legal fees, amounting to $326,956, for her defense against the dismissed claims. However, Manson’s legal team successfully argued to reduce the requested amount, highlighting certain billed hours as “vague.”
While the majority of the case has been dismissed, lingering allegations involve Wood and her friend Illma Gore, who are accused of conspiring to hack into Manson’s computer, impersonate him online, and orchestrate a “swatting” incident leading to police intervention. A trial on these remaining claims is scheduled for May 1, adding another layer of complexity to the legal proceedings.
Manson’s defamation lawsuit, filed in March 2022, alleged that Wood and Gore aimed to damage his successful career in music, TV, and film by portraying him as a rapist and abuser. Despite several accusations being thrown out by Judge Beaudet in May 2023, including claims that Wood recruited others to make false statements and allegations of forging an FBI letter, the legal battle continues.
In a separate legal saga, Manson faces revived allegations in a lawsuit by his former personal assistant, Ashley Walters, accusing him of sexual assault, discrimination, battery, and harassment. Last December, an appeals court revived Walters’ case. Additionally, Manson settled a 2021 lawsuit in September, where an anonymous Jane Doe accused him of rape, deprivation of food, and threats between 2010 and 2013. The embattled artist continues to navigate a complex web of legal challenges with various trials and accusations.