A judge in Los Angeles has reinstated a sexual assault lawsuit against musician Marilyn Manson after a new state law allowed previously time-barred cases to be reconsidered by the courts.
The case, filed in 2021 by Manson’s former assistant Ashley Walters, was dismissed last December after being deemed outside the statute of limitations. Walters sought a review of the decision in January following the introduction of legislation granting a two-year window for expired sexual assault claims to be heard.
Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Steve Cochran reinstated the lawsuit, stating that the new statute applies to the case. “I do think the statute revives the claim,” he said during a hearing this week, according to US media reports.
Walters alleges she was sexually assaulted while working for Manson’s record label between 2010 and 2011. She also claims that the artist, whose real name is Brian Hugh Warner, spoke openly about sexual violence and once showed her a video depicting the abuse of a minor.
Manson’s legal team has denied the allegations. His lawyer, Howard King, said the lawsuit would ultimately fail, arguing that Walters does not have valid claims under the legal definitions required by the new law. “The undeniable fact is that Mr Warner never committed any sexual assault,” he said in a statement.
Manson has faced multiple allegations of sexual abuse over the years, including claims made by actress Esme Bianco and his former partner Evan Rachel Wood.
Several cases have previously been dismissed for exceeding the statute of limitations, including one dropped earlier this year.
