Marilyn Manson is set to face trial in a lawsuit filed by his former personal assistant, Ashley Walters, who alleges the singer sexually assaulted her during her employment, according to Rolling Stone. The development comes after Manson recently settled multiple civil suits stemming from past abuse allegations.
A Los Angeles County judge set a trial date for the case, which has taken a complicated path through the courts since it was first filed. The woman claims Marilyn Manson sexually assaulted her at his West Hollywood home studio in 2010. She also alleges he later subjected her to physical and emotional abuse when she worked as his assistant. At a court hearing, Judge Steve Cochran noted the case had “traveled a windy road” since it was first filed in 2021. It was then dismissed and revived twice. He said he was willing to grant an expedited date if plaintiff Ashley Walters wanted one. When Walters’ lawyer requested a date in November of next year, he quickly set the case for a jury trial on Nov. 15, 2027.
Manson’s legal team, however, has indicated they do not expect the case to reach that stage.
“We’re confident the case will never get to trial after the court hears our upcoming motion for summary judgment,” Marilyn Manson’s lawyer said in a statement.
The allegations at the center of the lawsuit paint a disturbing picture of the years Walters spent around Manson, both as an alleged assault victim and later as his employee.
Walters says the assault took place in May 2010, when Manson allegedly pushed her onto a bed, pinned her arms down, tried to kiss her, bit her ear, and forced her hand into his underwear. She went on to work as his assistant from roughly August 2010 to October 2011. During that period, she alleges she endured further abuse, including being whipped, having plates thrown at her, and being hurled into a wall during what she describes as drug-fueled rages.
The case’s journey through the legal system has been anything but straightforward. Walters originally filed the lawsuit in 2021, only to see it dismissed on statute-of-limitations grounds. It was later revived under Assembly Bill 250, a California law that opened a temporary window allowing certain adult sexual-abuse civil claims that had previously expired to move forward again. That legal mechanism is what ultimately paved the way for the trial date now set for late 2027.
Walters’ allegations also extend beyond her own experiences with Manson. She has said she witnessed the singer throw a prop skull at actress Evan Rachel Wood during an incident that left a welt. The account echoes other longstanding allegations against Manson from multiple accusers over the years.
The mounting legal history surrounding Manson continues to cast a long shadow over the singer as the case heads toward trial. His attorneys, meanwhile, are pressing forward with efforts to have the case dismissed before it reaches a jury.
