Marilyn Manson Drops Defamation Lawsuit Against Evan Rachel Wood Over 2 Years After Suing Her
Marilyn Manson is no longer suing ex Evan Rachel Wood.
The 55-year-old musician sued the 37-year-old actress in March 2022 for defamation, saying she “publicly cast” him as a “rapist and abuser — a malicious falsehood that has derailed Warner’s successful music, TV and film career.”
He also accused her of impersonating an FBI agent, via Variety.
Now, fast forward nearly three years later, Marilyn has dropped the suit against her, and he will pay her attorney fees.
Keep reading to find out more…
“Marilyn Manson — whose real name is Brian Warner — 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,” Michael J. Kump, an attorney for ERW, shared in a statement to press, via Variety. “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.”
“After four years of fighting a battle where he was able to tell the truth, Brian is pleased to dismiss his still-pending claims and appeal in order to close the door on this chapter of his life,” Howard King, an attorney for Marilyn said.
After his defamation lawsuit, Evan‘s attorneys tried to dismiss most of the claims under the anit-SLAPP statute, “which motions to strike a complaint that arises from exercising free speech First Amendment rights.”
Last year, the court granted the order, and ordered Marilyn to pay her attorneys’ fees, to which his team appealed the ruling and tried to settle the suit “more favorably.” They offered a portion of legal fees along with a confidentiality agreement with a “mutually acceptable” statement from Evan.
However, that was rejected and Marilyn has now settled the suit and will pay her fees.
The Westworld actress first accused Marilyn of sexual assault and abuse in February 2021, leading multiple other woman to come forward with their own allegations. In March, Marilyn launched a lawsuit against Evan for defamation.