November news reveals a double assassination in court: Brian Warner aka Marilyn Manson drops Evan Rachel Wood lawsuit and the appeal he grabbed headlines with earlier this summer on claims against her and her former associate Ashley Illma Gore. He walks away the ultimate loser — responsible for their near $500k in attorneys costs as well as his own legal bills. Ooph!
In a sweeping defeat, embroiled Brian Warner aka Marilyn Manson drops lawsuit and appeal against Evan Rachel Wood and her associate Ashley Illma Gore.
This assassination in court is a consequence of multiple witnesses withdrawing from Warner’s case and the crucial evidence they brought dissolving.
Absent witnesses unfairly treated by his wife Lindsay Usich, the controversial public figure was forced to stand on his own two feet in the California courts and completely topped over. There is no reasonable expectation the case could prevail at trial after losing so much standing and the plug was pulled.
Things internally were also a complete disaster.
Warner, his wife Lindsay Usich and content creators such as “Colonel Kurtz“, “The Marilyn Manson Cases” and blogger “Marilyn Manson Uncanceled” participated in a costly internal smear campaign and harassed witnesses — even one who dropped her lawsuit whilst in the hospital. That is just the tip of the iceberg why his valid claim for justice was completely driven into the ground by those most advocating for it.
Surrendering, the sassy defiance of Marilyn Manson’s new anthem Raise the Red Flag proved to be nothing more than a stage act from Warner. The man behind the curtain was facing turmoil and legal peril.
UNCOMFORTABLE TRUTH
So here’s the uncomfortable truth you deserve to hear:
Brian Warner assassinated his case for justice in court. But as he planned a successful comeback, the master of spin undeniably wanted to make a show — and he got it.
Let’s start with the positives.
On Nov. 22, Marilyn Manson’s new album “One Assassination Under God” was released under his new record label Nuclear Blast. It’s a “First Chapter” with a second scheduled for release down the road and the 9-tracks are the first to come after “Marilyn Manson” the brand was canceled in Feb. 2021.
Timed alongside the release of his album, Brian Warner also announced in Nov. 2024 that he was assassinating his own cases against Evan Rachel Wood and Ashley Illma Gore in the California courts.
It is certainly a dramatic turning point from the golden days of Aug. 2024 where Manson enjoyed both positive professional and legal press. His triumphant return to music was celebrated and he grabbed headlines by leveraging an opening appeal brief that skewered Wood once again over the undisputed forged FBI letter she filed in a separate family court case.
The Supreme Court of California set Nov. 25 as the deadline for response briefs from the women. However, settlement was reached on Nov. 19 with Warner forfeiting the appeal and the many claims that remained active from his lawsuit.
Double Forfeiture: Marilyn Manson Drops Evan Rachel Wood Lawsuit AND Appeal
Three months after a victorious Aug. 2024, we arrive at a double forfeiture as Brian Warner aka Marilyn Manson drops the high-profile Evan Rachel Wood lawsuit as well as the appeal he invested much time, expense and resources in preparing for review by the Supreme Court of California.
Why the dramatic change of course?
ALTERED LEGAL LANDSCAPE
Full reasoning is unknown, however the needle substantially moved when the rockstar lost crucial eye-witness testimony and evidence from multiple witnesses needed to prevail in court. The landscape also changed as new corroborating evidence was notably announced by the LA District Attorney’s office and a former federal prosecutor, Nathan Hochman, was elected and sworn in as the new DA in December.
Hochman hosted a press conference in October with Game of Thrones‘ actress Esme Bianco condemning the lack of action in the criminal case against Brian Warner. A 19-month investigation into claims from Bianco and others was turned over by the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Dept. in Sept. 2022 for review by the DA with no movement since.
The lack of action on charging or dismissing the case has drawn criticism from all sides.
Despite efforts to brush this event off as insignificant, Hochman stood nothing to gain from addressing the claims against Warner. He was already leading his opponent George Gascon significantly in the polls. “Marilyn Manson” as a brand has been in steady decline since 2004 — long before any allegations were raised in 2021. The rockstar simply does not hold the cultural relevance and star power to be a deciding factor for voters in an important election.
Instead of making Manson the primary focus, the press event followed-up on Hochman’s platform that Gascon simply dropped the ball too many times as District Attorney. It also advocated that sex crimes not fall by the waist side.
Esme Bianco has played an active role in expanding the criminal statute of limitations in the State of California on sex crimes. She is correct that her case was put on the backburner and used her position of status to advocate for others in her boat whose cases lie in legal purgatory.
As far as Nathan Hochman’s resume goes, he is former US Assistant Attorney General. Many specifics of Bianco’s criminal case remain unknown but it’s worth noting federal prosecutors do have a 90% conviction rate. They don’t usually go after a case unless they feel it’s worth their time.
WARNER LIKELY PREPARING FOR POSSIBLE CHARGES
A successful former federal prosecutor being sworn into office as Los Angeles District Attorney after signaling a desire to prosecute Warner is a warning sign he and his attorneys are not likely to ignore. Preparations for an arrest on criminal charges and a defense are likely underway — it would be foolish not to prepare with that possibility clearly still on the table.
After how blind-sided Manson supporters were by the inevitable news he dropped his appeal and lawsuit, it’s just something to keep in mind.
The criminal activity outlined in Brian Warner’s lawsuit also was reported to law enforcement with numerous interviews conducted. It’s possible charges could arise on that front. Only time will tell.
Note: Esme Bianco previously settled a federal lawsuit in in Jan. 2023 on claims of sexual assault and human trafficking. An amended version added claims he interfered with an economic work opportunity she had to appear in visuals for a Deftones world tour. He denies any wrongdoing.
NEW CORROBORATING EVIDENCE ANNOUNCED
In his final days in office, previous LA District Attorney George Gascon had a sit-down interview with ABC News to discuss the new corroborating evidence his office received reportedly supporting the active claims against Brian Warner. This was the first movement seen on the case since Sept. 2022 and Gascon told ABC things “seem promising.”
Any new evidence deserves fair review as does existing evidence in the case. Corroborating details may connect dots previously unconnected — or they may not. There’s simply no way to know as prosecutors keep cards close to their chest and much evidence has been under lock and key at the District Attorney’s office for years now.
In Nov. 2021, the sex crimes division of the LA Sheriff’s Dept. seized multiple devices and hard drives in a raid at Warner’s home. The property became an issue and discovery roadblock in multiple lawsuits as its inaccessible when in the hands of law enforcement. This became a problem in Bianco’s federal lawsuit in Dec. 2022 and a separate Jane Doe lawsuit in July 2023. The Jane Doe case even had parties mutually agreeing to delay trial because of this inability to review contents of the seized hard drives. Both cases ultimately went on to end in settlements.
Only law enforcement knows what all exists within the case at this phase.
If the case is dismissed from Los Angeles, that means prosecutors feel there’s simply no evidence supporting the claims or not enough to support conviction beyond a reasonable doubt at trial. If charges are filed against Brian Warner, that’s a sign prosecutors feel there’s enough evidence to support conviction by a jury.
We simply do not know the outcome of the criminal investigation in Los Angeles and who, if anyone, will be charged.
INACCURATE HOWARD E. KING STATEMENT
When news of Manson accepting defeat in his own case broke, his lead attorney Howard E. King issued a statement on the decision to bow out:
“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.”
This statement, while brief, contains multiple inaccuracies.
It has not been four years since this most high-profile arrived. That’s mathematically inaccurate as the case was filed in March 2022 and this statement was made in Nov. 2024.
Brian Warner and attorney Howard E. King also have not achieved a single legal victory in the last four years so the “truth” has not been determined. Three lawsuits from accusers ended in settlements, they lost two anti-slapp motions in their own case and now forfeit an appeal.
Yes. The claims within Manson’s lawsuit are substantiated by evidence but surely an attorney like King understands the damage of implying simply because claims are made within a lawsuit that they should be considered to be the “truth.”
There’s been no legal determination made.
The case was dropped before that chance could arrive from the Supreme Court of California and Los Angeles Superior Court. Warner has also faced six lawsuits from five plaintiffs. Are their claims of sexual assault, sexual harassment and human trafficking “true” because they were litigated?
At least there the women received settlements with the outcome not yet decided in three lawsuits.
Brian Warner has no judgment in his favor and continues to face a possibility of criminal charges. Howard E. King attempting to spin a massive forfeit into a victory is likely an inaccurate attempt at damage control as his most high-profile case implodes.
This “chapter” of legal woes for Brian Warner has also not concluded. The door remains open with Manson continuing to face:
- Civil New York case from model/actress Bianca Kyne
- Civil Louisiana case from Bianca Kyne
- Civil California case from his former assistant Ashley Walters
- LA District Attorney Nathan Hochman signaling an interest in prosecuting
Returning to music as Marilyn Manson is undeniably a substantial comeback after his brand was so widely canceled in 2021. Brian Warner, however, is not out of the woods in the legal realm as King suggests.
MANSON TRIED TO LOW BALL EVAN RACHEL WOOD
Adding to the likelihood Howard E. King’s statement is merely a weak PR statement is a joint comment from Evan Rachel Wood’s attorneys that paints an entirely different picture.
Brian Warner reportedly approached his ex-fiance in Spring 2024 in hopes of mediating a settlement where he’d pay a portion of her legal fees if she signed a stipulated confidentiality agreement. Unsurprisingly, Wood elected not to sell herself short out of a Jan. 2024 ruling that ordered Warner pay the entirety of both her and Illma Gore’s attorney fees.
Why would anyone short-change themselves by accepting a lesser amount than they were legally entitled to and sign away their way to speak? That would be foolish.
Manson electing to invest much time and expense in an opening appeal brief only to quickly drop it before Wood’s response was due signal internal issues on his side became fatal.
If he had no intention of moving forward with an appeal, it makes sense he’d seek to avoid added expense and drop the lawsuit after he lost two anti-slapp motions in a court ruling in Spring 2023. If confidence in the appeal dampened before August, it makes sense to cut his losses in Spring 2024 instead of investing even more expense into an appeal brief the Supreme Court of California will never consider.
Manson walks away the sole financial loser either way but it’s odd timing to drop the appeal.
He’s now responsible for ~$500K in attorney’s fees for the women and full responsibility for his own legal bills from litigating his March 2022 lawsuit to this point and filing an appeal brief. Evan Rachel Wood now joins other women emerging from legal disputes with Warner while retaining their right to speak.
EVIDENCE DOES NOT INCRIMINATE WOOD AS MAIN CULPRIT
The device of Ashley Illma Gore housing much of the evidence Brian Warner’s case was built off contains no smoking gun Evan Rachel Wood was aware of much of Gore’s activity.
Warner’s camp was motivated to find evidence his most prominent accuser participated in accessing his private accounts, swatted his private residence and organized a “conspiracy” against him. Considering Illma Gore has never met or had any relationship with the musician, it’s understandable to a degree that they would suspect Wood was the director. Despite the evidence put in their hands by Illma’s twin Bryton Gore not supporting that theory from the get go.
But the reality is, Illma Gore has perpetrated other damaging hoaxes — some of which are outlined in Manson’s lawsuit on her history of committing identity theft and abusing and defrauding her own family members out of tens of thousands of dollars. Counsel for Warner failed to produce evidence supporting their theory Wood used the “FBI” letter to pressure women to make false allegations against their client
Absent a smoking gun against Wood, the potential fruits of a civil judgement against her appear not worth the effort with Illma Gore. Despite clear wrongdoing on her part, she is an artist living in poverty in Australia. Losing Bryton Gore as a witness is also a damaging hit as many key pieces of evidence went out the window.
Anyone who joined Lindsay Usich in breaching Bryton’s right to privacy, disrespecting the legal process, invading the private lives of her children and defaming her play a role in the appeal and lawsuit’s destruction.
Manson’s attorneys fought for months in Los Angeles Supreme Court to retain Bryton’s testimony in the case. All objections lodged by her sister and Evan Rachel Wood in attempts to dismiss her crucial eye-witness testimony were overruled.
It’s ironic Warner’s camp bears responsibility for losing what they needed and fought to retain in court.
Marilyn Manson Got Justice — Brian Warner Has Not
With a successful return to music under his belt, the pursuit of justice for Marilyn Manson was largely a successful endeavor.
On the other hand, the pursuit of justice for Brian Warner failed. What was always a twisty labyrinth darkened over time. False narratives were cemented as reality, what damaged the high-profile lawsuit became the mission and what should have been an orderly team effort dissolved into complete chaos.
Ultimately, Brian Warner wanted a show and got one with the house of legal cards crumbling down.
Evan Rachel Wood now emerges as the winner while Warner’s rat race continues running the sinking ship with a damning 0-8 legal record.
Even the Cleveland Browns are doing better than that!
What’s next? There are three remaining civil lawsuits that seem unlikely to make it to trial but may. Nathan Hochman also has the ability to prosecute anyone who has committed crimes within this treacherously sticky web.
As you saw me say, let the chips fall where they may.
POST-MORTEM PODCAST EP ON THE ROAD TO THIS GRAVE:
KEY LINKS
- Opening appeal brief
- Michele Meyer testimony lost
- Bryton Gore testimony lost
- Supplemental Exhibits from iPad lost
- Marilyn Manson with new music and tour dates
- Manson lawsuit dismissed with prejudice in LA County
- Manson abandons appeal in CA Supreme Court
