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Marilyn Manson and Esme Bianco settle sexual assault lawsuit – Rolling Stone

January 25, 2023

Actress Esme Bianco and Marilyn Manson have reached an out-of-court settlement for the sexual assault lawsuit she filed against him and his company, Marilyn Manson Records, Inc., in 2021. The actress, who appeared on game of thrones, alleged that the singer, whose real name is Brian Warner, sexually raped and beat her; she also claimed he violated California human trafficking laws. The terms of the agreement are not known.

“Ms. Bianco has agreed to resolve her claims against Brian Warner and Marilyn Manson Records, Inc. in order to move on with her life and career,” her attorney, Jay Ellwanger, said. rolling stone.

“Ms. Bianco has agreed to resolve her claims against Brian Warner and Marilyn Manson Records, Inc.,” Warner attorney Howard King said. rolling stone.

Bianco was one of more than a dozen women to make sexual abuse allegations against Warner after actress Evan Rachel Wood claimed on Instagram that Warner assaulted her in February 2021. Bianco – who, with Wood, co-created the Phoenix Act, which expands the rights of survivors of domestic violence – was the first woman to file a lawsuit against him. “Mr. Warner used drugs, force, and threats of force to coerce Ms. Bianco into sexual acts on multiple occasions,” the filing reads. “Mr. Warner raped Ms. Bianco in or around May 2011.

The complaint also alleged that Warner sexually assaulted her while she was unconscious and unable to consent. He also detailed other ways he allegedly assaulted her: “These acts include spanking, biting, cutting and whipping Ms. Bianco’s buttocks, breasts and genitals for Mr. Warner’s sexual gratification. – all without the plaintiff’s consent.”

The actress was living in London when she met the singer and Warner, she says, prompted her to move to Los Angeles to star in a music video that never came out and to star in a movie that didn’t. is never materialized. “By inserting himself into Ms. Bianco’s visa process, Mr. Warner was able to control Ms. Bianco by threatening to withdraw his support if he displeased her,” the lawsuit said. She also claimed that at one point he locked her in a room to prevent her from running away. She alleged he also made her work for free, making her food, cleaning her apartment and singing on an album – all of which violate state trafficking laws. The lawsuit originally named former Warner executive Tony Ciulla as the defendant, but his name was later removed.

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Warner has denied allegations of abuse over the years through his attorney, including those in Bianco’s lawsuit. “These claims are patently false,” Warner’s attorney King said in 2021. “To be clear, this lawsuit was only filed after my client refused to be shaken off by Ms. Bianco and her lawyer and give in to their outrageous financial demands based on behavior that simply never took place. We will vigorously contest these allegations in court and are confident that we will prevail.”

Bianco explained its claims against Warner in rolling stones article investigating the allegations against Warner. “The victims of him felt completely ashamed that they didn’t realize what was happening to them until it was too late,” she said. “He told the whole world and no one tried to stop him.”

Several other women, including Warner’s former personal assistant Ashley Walters and model Ashley Morgan Smithline have filed similar lawsuits against Warner. Each woman alleged similar patterns of abuse which included grooming and sexual and physical abuse. Walters’ lawsuit was dismissed for statute of limitations; Smithline’s was terminated when it missed a deadline. A similar lawsuit filed by an unnamed woman, identified as Jane Doe, still stands.

Meanwhile, Warner filed a lawsuit against Wood and his friend, Illma Gore, alleging defamation, emotional distress, and “internet impersonation,” among other charges. The file arrived just before Phoenix risinga documentary about Wood and the abuse she claims she suffered at the hands of Warner, premiering on HBO. In the doc, she described how she felt Warner manipulated her and claimed he “essentially raped” her on the set of one of his music videos.

Shortly after Wood posted his allegations on Instagram, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department confirmed they were investigating sexual assault allegations against Warner. Police have delivered their findings to the Los Angeles District Attorney, who has not yet said whether or not they will pursue charges against Warner.

During an appearance on View Last spring, Wood answered a question about Warner’s lawsuit against her. “I’m very confident that I have the truth on my side and that the truth will come out,” she said. “It’s clearly timed before the documentary. … I do not do it [film] to clear my name. I do this to protect people. I’m doing this to sound the alarm that there’s a dangerous person out there and I don’t want anyone near him. So people can think what they want of me. I have to let the legal process take its course and I am stable as a rock.