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Judge dismisses Marilyn Manson’s defamation claims against actress, friend
The Industry May 11, 2023
Marilyn Manson, left, and Evan Rachel Wood. | Photos courtesy of Sven Mandel/Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0); Gage Skidmore/Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)
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A judge Tuesday dismissed defamation claims brought by Marilyn Manson against former girlfriend Evan Rachel Wood and a second woman, citing free-speech grounds.
In his suit filed in March 2022, Manson alleged Wood and her co-defendant, Ashley Gore — who the suit describes as the actress’ “on-again, off-again romantic partner” — falsely portrayed him as a “a rapist and abuser,” derailing his “successful music, TV and film career.”
Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Teresa Beaudet tossed the defamation claims on Tuesday.
“The court does not find that (Manson) has demonstrated a probability of prevailing on his claims based on alleged defamation against Wood,” the judge wrote in reference to the part of the case regarding the actress.
According to Manson’s suit, the false sexual abuse allegations against him prompted his record label and manager to drop him, and he also lost his role in the television show “American Gods.”
The suit alleges Gore, who is also known as Illma Gore, had multiple conversations with prospective “accusers” against the singer in which she claimed that a 1996 short film made by Manson called “Groupie” depicted child abuse and child pornography. During one such conversation in 2021, Gore said the actress in “Groupie” was a minor at the time of the shoot and was dead, and that, if the video were to be seen, Manson would be indicted, according to the suit.
Wood maintained there was no evidence that she made false statements about “Groupie” or conspired with Gore to make any untrue remarks. Wood also contended that Manson could not demonstrate actual malice.
The 54-year-old Manson says he and Wood, now 35, met in 2006 and had a romantic relationship that lasted four years. Wood’s accusations against Manson of “abuse, assault, rape, threats and the like are unequivocally false,” Manson says in his court papers.
Manson alleges Wood and Gore forged and distributed a phony letter from a supposed FBI agent to create the false appearance that Manson’s alleged victims and their families were in danger.
In April 2022, Wood’s attorneys filed court papers seeking dismissal of parts of Manson’s complaint against her, citing First Amendment grounds. In her own sworn declaration, Wood said that during the course of the relationship, Manson “raped me, tortured me, tied me up, beat me, starved me, deprived me of sleep and shocked sensitive parts of my body.”
The next month, Gore filed her own anti-SLAPP, or strategic lawsuit against public participation, motion based on a law intended to prevent people from using courts and potential threats of a lawsuit to intimidate those who are exercising their First Amendment rights.
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