Marilyn Manson has dropped his defamation lawsuit against Evan Rachel Wood, and has agreed to pay her roughly $327,000 in attorneys' fees.
"Marilyn Manson filed a lawsuit against Ms. Wood as a publicity stunt to try to undermine the credibility of his many accusers and revive his faltering career. But his attempt to silence and intimidate Ms. Wood failed," wrote a representative for Wood, per a report from Rolling Stone. "As the trial court correctly found, Warner's claims were meritless. Warner's decision to finally abandon his lawsuit and pay Ms. Wood her full fee award of almost $327,000 only confirms as much."
This all started in 2021 when Wood named Manson as her abuser. The accusation opened the floodgates for a wave of other women to come forward, burying Manson in a world of lawsuits for the next few years. Manson responded by filing a lawsuit against Wood and her friend Illma Gore in 2022, citing emotional distress and defamation.
A judge ruled against portions of Manson's lawsuit in 2023 following Wood and Gore's anti-SLAPP (Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation) motions and ordered Manson to pay the duo roughly $500,000 in attorney fees. Manson then appealed the 2023 decision against him, which clearly didn't result in much as the lawsuit has now been dropped.
