Marilyn Manson Faces 2027 Trial in Former Assistant’s Sexual Assault Lawsuit

A Los Angeles County judge set a November 2027 trial date Wednesday in former assistant Ashley Walters' sexual assault lawsuit against Marilyn Manson, moving the long-running case toward a jury after it was twice dismissed and revived.

Judge Steve Cochran noted during the hearing that the case, first filed by Walters in 2021, had followed a lengthy path through the courts. Cochran said he was open to expediting the timeline if Walters wanted a faster resolution. When her attorney requested a trial date in November of next year, the judge scheduled the jury trial for Nov. 15, 2027. Manson's attorney, Howard King, said after the hearing that he expects an upcoming motion for summary judgment to resolve the case before trial.

Walters' lawsuit centers on an alleged assault in May 2010 at Manson's West Hollywood home studio, where she claims he pushed her onto a bed, pinned her arms down, and attempted to kiss her before moving behind her, biting her ear and forcing her hand into his underwear. She later took a job as his assistant after he suggested a professional collaboration between them, according to the complaint.

In that role, Walters alleges she endured sustained physical and emotional abuse, including being whipped, having plates thrown at her, being made to stand on a chair for extended periods, and being thrown into a wall during episodes she alleges were fueled by drugs.

The case has been dismissed twice over whether Walters filed her claims within the required time. A judge initially dismissed the lawsuit as untimely in May 2022, but an appellate panel revived it and gave Walters the chance to argue that trauma-induced memory suppression explained her delay in coming forward. Cochran dismissed the case again in December 2025 after concluding Walters had not adequately demonstrated that suppression.

Cochran reinstated the lawsuit in January after Walters cited AB 250, a California law that created a two-year window allowing certain sexual assault claims previously barred by the statute of limitations to move forward. In June, he denied Manson's latest effort to dismiss or significantly narrow Walters' third amended complaint.

Manson's legal team, representing him under his legal name, Brian Warner, has argued that Walters' claims do not qualify for revival under AB 250 because she cannot establish that she was physically restrained during the alleged sexual contact. Cochran determined the issue depended on disputed facts that could not be resolved at that stage of the case, allowing the claims to move forward while leaving Warner free to raise the argument again later in the proceedings.

Beyond her own allegations against Warner, Walters claims she secretly delivered food and drinks to his girlfriends, whom she describes as starving and distraught, while they hid inside his home. She also alleges that she witnessed him hurl a prop skull at his former fiancée, actress Evan Rachel Wood, with enough force to leave a large welt. Warner has denied the allegations against him.

Walters first went public with her accusations in February 2021, joining several women, including Wood, who accused Warner of physical and emotional abuse. Warner, 57, has settled two related lawsuits out of court, including one brought by actress Esmé Bianco, and previously withdrew defamation and harassment claims he had filed against Wood.