Metal Anarchy

According to Rolling Stone, Marilyn Manson has officially dropped 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.

The news of the dismissal comes after Manson previously appealed a decision to strike down parts of the complaint. Several of the pieces that did move forward included accusations of Wood and Gore hacking his computers, phones and social media accounts, impersonating him online, and making a fake “swatting” call.

Manson initially tried to settle the suit out of court. However, he has since dropped it, while also agreeing to pay Wood‘s legal fees. A representative for Wood commented:

“Marilyn Manson — whose real name is Brian Warner — filed a lawsuit against Ms. Wood as a publicity stunt to try to undermine the credibility of his many accusers and revive his faltering career. But his attempt to silence and intimidate Ms. Wood failed. As the trial court correctly found, Warner’s claims were meritless. Warner’s decision to finally abandon his lawsuit and pay Ms. Wood her full fee award of almost $327,000 only confirms as much.”

Manson‘s attorney Howard King added:

“After four years of fighting a battle where he was able to tell the truth, Brian is pleased to dismiss his still-pending claims and appeal in order to close the door on this chapter of his life.”

As previously reported, Manson has been facing allegations from multiple women who came forward after being inspired by Wood, who claimed that he “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 ex-assistant Ashley Walters, who filed a lawsuit after accusing him of sexual assault, sexual battery, sexual harassment, etc., and one unidentified woman, who recently settled a rape and death threat lawsuit.

For his part, Manson has continued to deny the allegations, while also lamenting the impact they have had on his career. Despite his protests, the Los Angeles District Attorney’s Sex Crimes Division have been “reviewing new leads and additional evidence” related to the allegations.