Metal Anarchy

According to Rolling Stone, Marilyn Manson has appealed Superior Court Judge Teresa A. Beaudet’s decision to strike down parts of his defamation suit against Evan Rachel Wood and Ilma Gore. The singer initially filed that complaint after Wood accused him of abuse and inspired other women to come forward with allegations against him.

Manson made the appeal based on evidence, which allegedly proves that Wood and Gore “recruited, pressured and coached others to make heinous, untrue accusations” while spreading “falsehoods … hack[ing] his accounts … manufactur[ing] fictitious e-mails; and ‘swatt[ing]” his house. His legal team also cited an FBI letter, which they believe was forged to “create the false appearance that [Manson] was under FBI investigation and his ‘victims’ were in danger.” That note said the following in part:

“Ms. Evan Rachel Wood is a key witness in connection to a criminal investigation in Los Angeles, California involving an international and well known public figure … Contact for more information regarding the safety of victims [sic] Human and Sex Trafficking crimes.”

The letter in question previously appeared during a legal case involving Wood and her ex-husband Jamie Bell, who were in a custody battle over their son. Manson’s lawyers said she used the letter to get her son to stay with her and that it was later “used to recruit, encourage, and convince people to claim that they were abused” by the musician. The attorneys argued that Wood and Gore were campaigning against Manson and that the court should reconsider its previous decision regarding portions of the defamation suit.

Wood’s attorney Michael Kump said the following about the appeal in a statement issued to Rolling Stone:

“Warner’s appeal simply rehashes the same meritless claims which the trial court threw out. As Ms. Wood testified under oath, she did not fabricate or forge the FBI letter.”

Despite the dispute over certain pieces of the lawsuit and Manson being ordered to pay Wood’s legal fees, some claims will still be heading to court. Among them are accusations of Wood and Gore hacking his computers, phones and social media accounts, impersonating him online, and making a fake “swatting” call.

As previously reported, Manson has been facing allegations from a number of women who came forward after being inspired by Wood, who claimed that the shock rocker “horrifically abused [her] for years.” Among those who shared their stories were Ashley Morgan Smithline, who accused him of sexual assault before recanting her statements, Esmé Bianco, who settled a lawsuit in which she accused him of abuse and human trafficking, Bianca Allaine Kyne, who filed a lawsuit after claiming he sexually assaulted her when she was a minor, his former assistant Ashley Walters, who filed a lawsuit after accusing him of sexual assault, sexual battery, sexual harassment, intentional infliction of emotional distress, etc., and one unidentified woman, who previously settled a rape and death threat lawsuit against him.