Marilyn Manson is suing Evan Rachel Wood for defamation, Deadline reports and Pitchfork can confirm. In addition to Wood, the lawsuit names Illma Gore (described as Wood’s “on-again, off-again romantic partner”) as a defendant. Manson is seeking a jury trial, according to the complaint, filed in a California court by Manson’s attorney Howard E. King.
The lawsuit claims that Wood and Gore committed “wrongful and illegal acts done in furtherance of a conspiracy… to publicly cast Plaintiff Brian Warner, p/k/a Marilyn Manson, as a rapist and abuser—a malicious falsehood that has derailed Warner’s successful music, TV, and film career.”
In the lawsuit, Manson and King claim that Wood and Gore “secretly recruited, coordinated, and pressured prospective accusers to emerge simultaneously with allegations of rape and abuse against Warner.” In addition the lawsuit states, “They provided checklists and scripts to prospective accusers, listing the specific alleged acts of abuse that they should claim against Warner.”
In addition, Manson and his lawyer say that Wood and Gore impersonated an FBI 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 a statement shared with Pitchfork, King said, “This detailed complaint has been filed to stop a campaign of malicious and unjustified attacks on Brian Warner. Years after the end of Evan Rachel Wood’s long-term relationship with Warner, she and her girlfriend Illma Gore recruited numerous women and convinced them to make false allegations against him—claims that Wood and Gore scripted for them.”
“There will come a time when I can share more about the events of the past year,” Manson wrote in a statement. “Until then, I’m going to let the facts speak for themselves.” He also linked to a copy of the lawsuit.
Pitchfork has reached out to Evan Rachel Wood and Illma Gore’s respective representatives for comment and additional information.
Evan Rachel Wood publicly named Manson as her alleged abuser for the first time last year. (The actor, who was briefly engaged to Manson in 2010, had previously spoken about surviving domestic abuse but declined to name the alleged perpetrator.) Her disclosure led to several women speaking up about alleged abuse they experienced from Manson. In addition, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department investigated domestic violence claims against the musician. Manson was also dropped from his record label, Loma Vista, and pulled from scenes of the TV shows American Gods and Creepshow.
Wood is the subject of director Amy Berg’s new documentary Phoenix Rising. In the film, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival, Wood alleges that Manson “essentially raped” her during the filming of the music video for Manson’s 2007 single “Heart-Shaped Glasses (When the Heart Guides the Hand).” The documentary airs on HBO later this month.
If you or someone you know has been affected by sexual assault or domestic violence, we encourage you to reach out for support:
RAINN National Sexual Assault Hotline
http://www.rainn.org
1 800 656 HOPE (4673)
Crisis Text Line
http://www.facebook.com/crisistextline (chat support)
SMS: Text “HERE” to 741-741
The National Domestic Violence Hotline
http://thehotline.org
1-800-799-SAFE (7233)
