A lawsuit filed against Marilyn Manson by his former assistant Ashley Walters was dismissed yesterday (May 25) by Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Michael L. Stern. Walters had alleged sexual harassment, abuse, sexual battery, intentional infliction of emotional distress, and wrongful termination in her suit, which was filed in May 2021. Manson denied the allegations.
According to Billboard, Stern ruled that Walters had “too few facts to keep this case in court” and that the suit was filed too late to meet the statute of limitations rules. Walters worked for Manson between 2010 and 2011 and said her memories of the incidents were repressed, thus delaying her filing. The case was dismissed with prejudice means Walters cannot sue Manson again for the same claims.
“We are deeply disappointed in the court’s decision,” Walters’ attorneys at Valli Kane & Vagnini LLP and Hadsell Stormer Renick & Dai LLP told SPIN. “If allowed to stand, this decision would drastically limit the ability of victims of abuse to obtain justice through the legal system. We clearly pleaded the facts of this case in the complaint detailing the trauma and abuse Ashley endured, which prevented her from coming forward sooner. While the court based its decision on the timeliness of Ashley’s claims and not the merits, we disagree with the court’s interpretation of the law as it applies to equitable estoppel and the delayed filing of abuse claims. We remain confident that a full review of the facts in this case will result in a successful appeal, which we plan on filing.”
“Nobody gets to choose exactly how they process abuse or threats,” Walters said. “I am disheartened in the court’s decision today not just for my case, but for the message it sends to other survivors out there trying to balance how they process abuse with arbitrary court deadlines. We will not let this hurdle stop us from shining a light on what happened to me and others.”
Manson faces additional lawsuits from his former partner Evan Rachel Wood and Game of Thrones actress Esme Bianco.
Pamela Chelin contributed to this report.
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