NEWSMarilyn Manson Ordered to Pay Accuser Evan Rachel Wood $327,000 in Fees After Dropping 'Meritless' Defamation Lawsuit
Evan Rachel Wood accused Marilyn Manson of 'grooming' her as a teenager before 'horrifically abusing' her during their relationship.
Marilyn Manson and Evan Rachel Wood's legal battle has finally been laid to rest more than two years after the rocker sued the actress for defamation.
The "Sweet Dreams" singer dropped his March 2022 lawsuit against the Westworld star and was ordered to pay her $327,000 in legal fees, per a settlement reached on Tuesday, November 19, as seen in court documents obtained by a news publication.
Marilyn Manson dropped his defamation lawsuit against Evan Rachel Wood as part of a settlement reached on Tuesday, November 19.
"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," Wood's attorney Michael J. Kump said in a statement released to the press. "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."
Manson's legal team also reacted to the dismissal of his defamation lawsuit, with his lawyer Howard King writing in a message to the public: "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."
Evan Rachel Wood started dating Marilyn Manson when she was 19 and he was 38.
The settlement comes more than two years after Manson accused Wood's co-defendant and "on-again, off-again romantic partner" Illma Gore of falsely claiming the rock star hired an underaged actress for a music video and "filmed the sexual assault of a minor."
Manson argued Gore's allegations "publicly cast" him as a "rapist and abuser — a malicious falsehood that has derailed Warner’s successful music, TV and film career."
Evan Rachel Wood and Marilyn Manson were briefly engaged for eight months in 2010.
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"The Beautiful People" singer, 55, additionally claimed Wood, 37, and Gore, 32, impersonated an FBI agent "by forging and distributing a fictitious letter from the agent, to create the false appearance that Warner’s alleged 'victims' and their families were in danger, and that there was a federal criminal investigation of Warner ongoing."
In response to the lawsuit, Wood's attorneys worked to dismiss most of it by citing California’s anti-SLAPP statute, which "provides for a special motion to strike a complaint where the complaint arises from activity exercising the rights of petition and free speech," per the project's website.
The court granted Wood's lawyers the motion in 2023 and ordered Manson to reimburse his ex-fiancée's attorneys' fees, however, the musician appealed the ruling in an attempt to settle the lawsuit more favorably.
Manson tried offering only a portion of legal fees alongside a confidentiality agreement and a "mutually acceptable" public statement by Wood — which she rejected, resulting in the full $327,000 payment ordered to be paid by the "Tainted Love" singer to the Thirteen actress.
Marilyn Manson was ordered to pay Evan Rachel Wood $327,000 in legal fees.
In 2021, Wood was one of many women to come forward with sexual misconduct accusations against Manson — whom she started dating at age 19, when he was 38. The pair were briefly engaged in 2010.
"The name of my abuser is Brian Warner, also known to the world as Marilyn Manson," Wood revealed via Instagram at the time. "He started grooming me when I was a teenager and horrifically abused me for years. I was brainwashed and manipulated into submission. I am done living in fear of retaliation, slander, or blackmail. I am here to expose this dangerous man and call out the many industries that have enabled him, before he ruins any more lives. I stand with the many victims who will no longer be silent."
Variety obtained court documents and press statements regarding the dismissal of Manson's defamation lawsuit.
