A sexual assault lawsuit brought against Marilyn Manson by his former personal assistant, Ashley Walters, has been dismissed ahead of trial, Rolling Stone reports. In his ruling, Los Angeles County Judge Steve Cochran noted that Walters’ claims fell outside the statute of limitations.
“We have a situation where the complaint was not filed until about 10 years after the operative events. I’m not able to find that the delayed discovery rule is applicable,” Judge Cochran said in his remarks at today’s (Tuesday, December 16) hearing. “I don’t have the authority to rule that the delayed discovery doctrine would apply under the circumstances that exist in this case.”
Walters’ lawyer James Vagnini said in a statement, “The fight is not over. This ruling only highlights the reason we stand with survivors and victims of abuse. This is not a finding that Mr. Warner did not commit the heinous acts he’s been accused of. Rather, the court did not accept the reasons Ms. Walters set forth for coming forward with her claims when she did.” Co-counsel Hadsell Stormer added, “Victims deserve the ability to seek justice when their abuser has used tactics to prevent them from coming forward. This is a situation we see time and time again, and it seems the law hasn’t caught up to the science on what’s right for victims.”
Howard King, an attorney for Marilyn Manson, whose government name is Brian Warner, said in a statement, “Justice delayed is still justice and is much appreciated even though it came with great personal cost. Now Brian can move on.”
Walters worked as Manson’s assistant between 2010 and 2011. During that time, she claims that the singer sexually harassed her and subjected her to verbal, physical, and psychological abuse. Her initial suit against Manson, filed in 2021, was dismissed the following year, also due to statute of limitations, before being revived on appeal. Another lawyer for Walters, Kate McFarlane, reportedly plans to seek an appeal of this dismissal as well.
Last year, Manson dropped the defamation lawsuit he brought against Evan Rachel Wood and Illma Gore in 2022. After a yearslong investigation by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department into claims of domestic violence and sexual assault against Manson, it was announced in January that he will not face criminal charges.
If you or someone you know has been affected by sexual assault, we encourage you to reach out for support:
RAINN National Sexual Assault Hotline
http://www.rainn.org
1 800 656 HOPE (4673)
Crisis Text Line
SMS: Text “HELLO” or “HOLA” to 741-741
