A lawsuit accusing musician Marilyn Manson of “childhood and adult sexual abuse, sexual battery, assault and molestation” was filed in New York on Monday.
Two of Manson’s former labels, Interscope Records and Nothing Records — an Interscope label that no longer exists — were also named as defendants in the lawsuit filed in Nassau County, and are accused of “protecting, promoting and profiting” from his alleged conduct.
In a lawsuit filed on Jane Doe’s behalf, Manson, whose real name is Brian Warner, is accused of sexually assaulting her on her tour bus after an all-ages concert in 1995, when she was 16. It is also alleged that Manson threatened to kill her and her family if she told anyone.
Manson groomed the plaintiff, the lawsuit alleges, encouraging her to send candid photos of herself and her friends. It is also alleged that he asked her to attend one of his concerts in New Orleans in 1995, where he is also alleged to have assaulted her.
The sexual abuse continued when the plaintiff was 19 and moved to Los Angeles to date another band member, who had an intimate relationship with Manson, the suit alleges. The plaintiff began using drugs and alcohol to self-medicate because of the earlier assault, and Manson “intentionally and knowingly laid the groundwork necessary to intimidate and control her” as a child and was still capable of doing so, according to the lawsuit. .
The plaintiff attended a visit to the mansion in 1999, during which he sexually assaulted her while watching her, the lawsuit alleges. Manson “often forced the plaintiff to have sex with him and other band members or his assistant at the same time” and provided her with drugs, the lawsuit alleges.
A lawyer for Manson, Howard King, called the allegations in the lawsuit “terrible lies” and said his client “will not appear in this commotion.”
“Brian Warner does not know this man and has no recollection of meeting him 28 years ago. He was certainly never intimate with him,” King said in a statement. “She’s been shopping her fabricated story to tabloids and podcasts for over two years.”
The plaintiffs’ attorneys say Manson, his band and promoters provided children with posters with symbols “related to violence, sexual abuse and the devil,” including a song, “I’m a pedophile’s dream.”
“For too long, music industry predators have hid in plain sight, believing they are above the law,” said Jeff Anderson, attorney for the plaintiffs. “Today, we are demanding a sentence for Warner, so he knows he will no longer escape his day in court. This is a day of reckoning.”
The lawsuit also accuses Interscope and Nothing Records of negligence, saying they “knew or should have known that Defendant Warner was involved in the routine sexual abuse of young adults and minor children across the country.”
Interscope Records did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Nothing Records was a label created by musician Trent Rezor through Interscope Records.
“Sexual predators in the music industry do not operate alone,” said Karen Barth Menzies, an attorney for the plaintiffs. “For meaningful changes to happen in the music industry, we need to hold predators accountable. We need to force record companies to admit the crimes they allow, and in some cases facilitate, and we need to make them take responsibility for allowing and profiting from outrageous criminal behavior. “
Manson has previously been accused of sexually assaulting a minor.
In 2021, Evan Rachel Wood, Manson’s ex-girlfriend, accused him of grooming and abusing her for years as a teenager. Manson was not charged with any crime related to Wood’s allegations. He filed a defamation suit against Wood last year.
At least three other women faced charges in a lawsuit filed against Manson in 2021.
“Game of Thrones” actor Esme Bianco filed a lawsuit against Manson, alleging multiple violent sexual assaults, a rape and other abuse from 2009 to 2013.
Lawyers for Bianco and Manson said this month that Bianco had agreed to settle his claims against Manson and Marilyn Manson Records Inc. He “did so to further his life and career,” Bianco’s attorney, Jay Ellwanger, said in a statement. 24.
Ashley Walters, his assistant at the time, accused him of sexual abuse and psychological abuse. The case was dismissed in May, according to Los Angeles County Superior Court records. The appeal is also expected to be formally dismissed after the appeal has not expired in the Second District Court.
Also in 2021, model Ashley Morgan Smithline sued Manson, accusing him of sexual assault, sexual battery and human trafficking. The case was dismissed without prejudice this month, according to court records.