Marilyn Manson moves to dismiss Esmé Bianco's assault lawsuit

Earlier this year, Game Of Thrones actress Esmé Bianco filed a lawsuit for sexual assault and battery against shock rocker Marilyn Manson. Three other women have separately filed lawsuits against him, including Manson's former personal assistant Ashley Walters, model Ashley Morgan Smithline, and a woman who has chosen to remain anonymous.

Manson has also been accused of sexual assault by more than a dozen women, including his ex-fiancée Evan Rachel Wood, who testified in 2018 to an anonymous ex-partner "grooming" and horrifically abusing her, and publicly named Manson as that abuser at the beginning of 2021.

Additionally, musician Phoebe Bridgers issued a statement of support for all of Manson's accusers, tweeting out her own experience during an encounter with the disgraced shock rocker. "TW: I went to Marilyn Manson’s house when I was a teenager with some friends. I was a big fan. He referred to a room in his house as the 'r*pe room'," the Punisher singer-songwriter said. "I thought it was just his horrible frat boy sense of humour. I stopped being a fan. I stand with everyone who came forward.

"The label knew, management knew, the band knew," Bridgers added. "Distancing themselves now, pretending to be shocked and horrified is fucking pathetic."

Earlier this year, Manson was dropped from his talent agency and record label over the accusations.

Now, in court papers filed in Los Angeles, Manson's lawyers have said there is "not a shred of evidence" to support the women's claims.

"These individuals, including [the] plaintiff, spent months plotting, workshopping, and fine-tuning their stories to turn what were consensual friendships and relationships with Warner from more than a decade ago, into twisted tales that bear no resemblance to reality," they continue.

Manson's legal team also further accuse the women of "desperately trying to conflate the imagery and artistry of Warner's 'shock rock' stage persona, Marilyn Manson, with fabricated accounts of abuse."

According to the BBC, the documents also claim that Manson's accusers are "cynically and dishonestly seeking to monetise and exploit the #MeToo movement".

Manson's lawyers are also arguing that Bianco's case has been filed too late to be considered under California law.

Calling for the case to be dismissed, they claim that the accusations made by Bianco are subject to a statute of limitations. Her accusations date back to 2011. "[The accusations] are time-barred by more than seven years and Plaintiff cannot establish an applicable exception to the statute of limitations", said Manson's legal team.