A previously dismissed sexual assault case from one of Marilyn Manson’s former assistants was revived on Monday (January 26), a year after the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s office confirmed he wouldn’t be facing any charges.
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Ashley Walters’ case against Manson, real name Brian Warner, was first filed in 2021 but was seemingly killed last year. In January 2025, prosecutors confirmed that Warner would not be facing any charges after a years-long investigation into sexual assault and domestic abuse allegations, and in December, the sexual assault lawsuit was dropped.
However, a new California law that gives sexual assault allegations more time to go to the courts took effect a few weeks ago, prompting its revival.
Assembly Bill 250, which was signed by Gavin Newsom, the governor of California, last year, extends the “eligibility period for revivals of claims … that would otherwise be barred prior to January 1, 2026, because the applicable statute of limitations has or had expired” by two years for people over 18 years old.
As a result, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Steve Cochran granted a motion to reconsider the lawsuit in a downtown L.A. courtroom. Though it was Cochran himself who dismissed the case previously, he cited the new legislation.
When Walters first filed her lawsuit in 2021, she alleged that she met Warner through social media. She said that she went to his home for a potential collaboration that he pitched and was pushed onto his bed, as he attempted to put her hand in his underwear, per Rolling Stone. She claimed that she left, but went on to agree to be his assistant between 2010 and 2011 and was subjected to more abuse.
The suit was first dismissed in May 2022 due to the statute of limitations, before being revived following an appeal.
Warner has denied Walters’ accusations of sexual harassment, abuse, sexual battery, intentional infliction of emotional distress and wrongful termination, as he has done with previous claims from his former-fiancée, Westworld actress Evan Rachel Wood, and Game Of Thrones’ Esmé Bianco.
The musician has reached out-of-court settlements with some of his accusers, including Bianco. In November 2024, he dropped a defamation lawsuit he had filed against Wood.
In a statement to Entertainment Weekly, his attorney, Howard King, reiterated his stance, and said: “The undeniable fact is that Mr Warner never committed any sexual assault which undoubtedly is the reason the District Attorney declined Ms Walters’ request that Mr Warner be criminally charged.”
Walters’ lawyer Bina Ahmad, meanwhile, said in a statement to Deadline: “We are thrilled for Ms Walters. She has never given up fighting for justice.”
For help, advice or more information regarding sexual harassment, assault and rape in the UK, visit the Rape Crisis charity website. In the US, visit RAINN.
