Marilyn Manson‘s legal troubles have resurfaced with the revival of a previously dismissed lawsuit filed by his ex-personal assistant, Ashley Walters.
The suit, which accused Manson of various offenses including sexual harassment, assault, battery, and emotional distress, was initially dismissed in May 2022. At that time, the court ruled that Walters had provided insufficient facts and had filed the case too late to keep it in court.
However, the dismissal has now been appealed, with the court considering the rule of delayed discovery. Walters claims that she repressed memories of the incidents until 2020 when she sought treatment and joined a support group for abused women. The appeals court has allowed the case to proceed based on this delayed discovery rule.
According to Billboard, the appeals court made a following statement regarding the current appeal: “Until she received diagnosis and treatment, Walters [says she] was unable to remember the repressed events, and once she did recall them, she was unable to immediately identify these events as abuse,” the court wrote. These allegations of suppressed memories and psychological blocking are sufficient to withstand [dismissal].”
Manson has consistently denied all allegations made against him by multiple women over the past several years. However, in 2023, Manson reached settlements with two alleged victims, including actress Esmé Bianco and an unidentified woman. Model Ashley Morgan Smithline‘s lawsuit against Manson was dismissed earlier this year after she decided to recant her accusations.
