Marilyn Manson (real name Brian Werner) filed a lawsuit against Evan Rachel Wood and her friend Illma Gore for defamation, emotional distress, and "impersonation over the internet" on March 2. In the lawsuit, Manson's lawyer accuses Wood and Gore of conspiring to paint Manson as "a rapist and abuser." This lawsuit from Manson surfaces only a few weeks after Wood's documentary Phoenix Rising was announced to be released on HBO.
Now Manson has issued a brief statement on his Instagram about the lawsuit, saying "There will come a time when I can share more about the events of the past year. Until then, I'm going to let the facts speak for themselves." Manson also posted the entirety of his lawsuit against Wood and Gore on Google Drive with public access.
According to the lawsuit, "arises from the wrongful and illegal acts done in furtherance of a conspiracy by Defendant Evan Rachel Wood and her on-again, off-again romantic partner, Defendant Ashley Gore, a/k/a Illma Gore, to publicly cast Plaintiff Brian Warner, p/k/a Marilyn Manson, as a rapist and abuser—a malicious falsehood that has derailed Warner's successful music, TV, and film career."
The Introduction to the lawsuit ends by saying the "wrongful conduct alleged herein has been invasive, harassing, defamatory, and otherwise injurious to Warner and his career, personal life, and well-being, Accordingly, Warner has brought this action seeking general, special, and punitive damages against Wood and Gore in an amount to be determined at trial, and an injunction preventing their future wrongful conduct."
Wood and Manson have been making headlines for over a year after Wood publicly named Manson as her abuser in 2020. Wood detailed being mentally and physically tortured by an older man when she was 18-years-old, and most recently claimed Manson "once threatened to fuck her eight-year-old son." You can see the details of her original accusations here.
