Marilyn Manson is facing another lawsuit, this time from his former assistant Ashley Walters. In the complaint filed on Tuesday in Superior Court of Los Angeles County and as obtained by SPIN, Manson is accused of sexual assault, battery and harassment by Walters.
In the suit, Walters claims that she first met Manson in 2010 through MySpace when she was an aspiring photographer. According to the suit, the first time the two met in person was at Manson’s home in West Hollywood in May 2010 to talk about art and how they could work together. Walters alleges that she tried to leave the home at 2 am but Manson said that the park where she left her car didn’t open until 7 am. He then allegedly requested that they engage in a photoshoot where Walters removed her shirt.
According to the suit, she was “not opposed to provocative art in theory,” however, the nature of it “caused her to pause.” Then, the suit claims, when Manson finished taking photographs of Walters, he “pushed her onto his bed and pinned down her arms. Walters turned her head away as Defendant tried to kiss her on the lips.” After “quickly” moving away, Manson is alleged to have “moved behind Walters and bit her ear while grabbing her hand and placing it in his underwear.” Walters, realizing it was 7 am, left the home.
A few months after the alleged incident, Walters began to work for Manson as his assistant. The suit alleges that Manson forced her to stay up for 48 hours straight. “She was required to stand for 12 hours straight on a chair while taking pictures of him,” the lawsuit said. It also stated that Manson “fed her cocaine to force her to stay awake.”
Throughout her time working for Manson, Walters alleges that Manson would throw dishes at her, push her against walls, and threatened her. He also “commonly offered Walters up to his influential industry friends and associates” including an October 2010 incident where an unnamed director “groped Walters repeatedly throughout the night.”
“During these drug binges, he threw dishes at Walters, threatened to commit suicide and even pushed her into a wall,” the lawsuit said.
“It is a privilege and an honor to represent Ashley who made the difficult but brave decision to come forward about this horrific experience,” a statement from Walters’ attorneys, Valli Kane & Vagnini, says. “Through this lawsuit, she seeks accountability from her abuser to not only ensure it does not continue to happen to other women, but also to provide strength and courage to other survivors who have suffered trauma at the hands of those who regularly abuse their power and influence. In recent years, thanks to people like Ashley and other survivors of Marilyn Manson, legislators and courts have begun recognizing the strength and time it takes survivors to come forward. We are grateful to Ashley and other survivors who are fighting to be heard after the abuse they endured.”
When reached by SPIN, a member of Manson’s team vehemently denied any accusations of assault.
Last month, Manson was sued by Game of Thrones actress Esme Blanco and Ashley Morgan Smithline for sexual abuse. Since the accusations surfaced on Feb. 1 by Evan Rachel Wood and despite his own denial, Manson has been dropped by his record label, booking agent and management.
