Marilyn Manson has now legally begun to claim his innocence against all sexual abuse charges levied against him. USA Today reports that Manson’s attorney, Howard E. King, submitted a court filing yesterday, July 28, seeking to dismiss charges against the shock rocker by Game of Thrones actress Esmé Bianco.
Game of Thrones actress Esmé Bianco filed a suit against shock rocker Marilyn Manson real name Brian Warner) and his now-former manager, Tony Ciulla, claiming that Manson raped and sexually battered her, and that his manager helped traffic her to the States under the pretense of being in a music video.
Manson's lawyers contest that Bianco's claims exceeded California’s statute of limitations and should be dismissed as a result. Manson's lawyers claim her allegations are “untrue, meritless, and a key component of a coordinated attack” by “co-conspirators.”
Manson's lawyers take it a step further saying that all the women rallying against Manson are “cynically and dishonestly seeking to monetize and exploit the #MeToo movement” by “desperately trying to conflate the imagery and artistry of Warner’s ‘shock rock’ stage persona, ‘Marilyn Manson,’ with fabricated accounts of abuse” which they have “spent months plotting, workshopping, and fine-tuning.”
According to Rolling Stone, Bianco's claim accuses Manson of the following:
“Mr. Warner used drugs, force, and threats of force to coerce sexual acts from Ms. Bianco on multiple occasions,” the lawsuit says. “Mr. Warner raped Ms. Bianco in or around May 2011.” It goes on to claim that Warner “committed sexual acts” with Bianco at times when she was unconscious or unable to consent, and lists the ways she claims he sexually battered her: “These acts include spanking, biting, cutting, and whipping Ms. Bianco’s buttocks, breasts, and genitals for Mr. Warner’s sexual gratification — all without the consent of Plaintiff.”
Bianco has yet to respond to this new suit.
On February 1st, actress Evan Rachel Wood publicly named Manson as her abuser, after previously detailing being mentally and physically tortured by an older man when she was 18-years-old. You can see the details of her accusations here. She later elaborated that Manson "started grooming me when I was a teenager and horrifically abused me for years," adding "I was brainwashed and manipulated into submission." Wood released a second statement accusing Manson and his current wife of trying to blackmail her into silence. One of Manson's former personal assistants has backed her claims and alleged Manson is abusing his current wife.
Wood began signal-boosting other women who spoke of the abuse they alleged Manson caused to them. Another accuser has since come forward saying Manson pulled a gun on her and accused him of drugging his girlfriend at the time.
Limp Bizkit's Wes Borland, who played with Manson in 1998, was the first artist to speak out, and said that everything Wood was saying was true. Trent Reznor released a statement denouncing him. Another musician, Phoebe Bridgers, revealed she went over to Manson's house as a teenager and he joked of having "a rape room."
