Marilyn Manson’s Former Assistant Sues Him Over Alleged Sexual Assault
Written by SOURCE on May 19, 2021
Marilyn Manson’s legal issues continue to mount.
According to Deadline, Ashley Walters is suing the embattled shock rocker over alleged abuse that took place while she worked as his assistant. The lawsuit—filed Tuesday in the Superior Court of Los Angeles County—accuses Manson of sexual assault, battery, and harassment, which reportedly began on the night she had met the 52-year-old artist in 2010.
Walters claims Manson had invited her to his West Hollywood home to look at his art collection and discuss a potential collaboration. Walters allegedly tried to leave the residence at around 2 a.m., but was informed by Manson that the parking lot where her vehicle was located would not open until 7 in the morning. Manson then suggested they do a photo shoot in the meantime, to which Walters agreed.
Per the lawsuit:
As Defendant continued taking photographs, he asked Walters to remove her shirt. Walters, an artist herself, was not opposed to provocative art in theory, but the way in which Defendant insisted caused her to pause. Eventually Walters agreed to remove her shirt but not her bra.
Walters claims that in the middle of the photoshoot, Manson pushed her onto his bed, pinned her arms down, and attempted to kiss her. He allegedly bit her ear and forced Walters’ hands down his pants, before she realized it was 7 a.m. and was able to leave. The defendant claims Manson had sent her numerous text messages in the following days, and said he “looked forward to working with her.” Walters said her first face-to-face interaction with Manson left her afraid and confused, but ultimately “made the decision to focus on their shared interests and ignore[d] the traumatizing experience of being pinned to his bed.”
The plaintiff said her following interactions with Manson were both professional and appropriate, giving her some hope that he would respect her boundaries after she accepted a position as his assistant. However, Walters says it wasn’t long before she began witnessing and experiencing abuse at the hands of Manson.
She claims Manson would have drug-induced fits of rage that were frequently directed towards her. She says the artist threw dishes at her, prevented her from seeing her family, pushed her into a wall, and threatened suicide. Walters also says Manson would brag about raping women and said “he wanted to kill women he was involved with.”
Walters says Manson’s ex-girlfriend Esmé Bianco had also warned her to get out because she believed Manson “would be dangerous.” The Game of Thrones star, who split from Manson in 2011, sued the rocker for sexual assault back in April. Bianco is among more than a dozen of women, including actress Evan Rachel Wood, who has accused Manson of sexual abuse.
According to the suit, Manson fired Walters after learning she had been communicating with Bianco, but hired her back just a week later. Walters says she was permanently terminated in 2011, but Manson continued to threaten her and accuse her of stealing his work after she was fired.
A representative for Manson denied the abuse allegations in a statement to TMZ.
