Marilyn Manson Accuser Moves to Revive Sexual Abuse Lawsuit Under New California Statute
Ashley Walters, a former assistant to Marilyn Manson, is seeking to revive her sexual abuse lawsuit against the musician by invoking a newly enacted California law that broadens the ability of adults to bring claims previously time-barred.
In filings submitted this month, Walters argues that Assembly Bill 250 (AB 250), which took effect on Jan. 1, applies to her case and nullifies a summary judgment ruling that dismissed her claims in December. That ruling, issued by Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Steve Cochran, found that Walters’ allegations, which date back to 2010, fell outside the applicable statute of limitations and could not proceed.
Walters’ attorneys now contend that AB 250 revives her claims because no final judgment had been entered when the new law became effective. They are asking the court either to vacate the summary judgment or to allow them to amend the complaint to reflect the statute.
AB 250 establishes a fully retroactive two-year window in California for filing civil claims related to adult sexual abuse against individual perpetrators, even if those claims were previously barred by time limits. Unlike an earlier statute, AB 2777, the new law does not require plaintiffs to show that an institution or third party concealed the alleged abuse in order to sue an individual defendant. Claims against businesses and public entities, however, remain subject to stricter standards.
In their motion, Walters’ lawyers argue that judicial efficiency favors reconsideration now rather than forcing the parties into an appeal that could ultimately return the case to the same court. They maintain that the legislature intended AB 250 to address precisely the type of procedural barrier that led to Walters’ case being dismissed.
Walters first filed her lawsuit in 2021, alleging that Manson, whose legal name is Brian Warner, subjected her to physical, sexual, and psychological abuse while she worked for him as a personal assistant. She claimed she was recruited under the promise of artistic collaboration and later experienced coercive and violent treatment. Warner has denied all allegations.
The case has followed a complex procedural history. A prior judge dismissed Walters’ claims in 2022, but that decision was overturned on appeal in 2023, allowing the lawsuit to move forward. It was approaching trial when Warner successfully sought summary judgment last year, arguing that the claims were untimely.
Warner’s attorney, Howard King, said the latest effort to revive the lawsuit is unfounded. “This claim has now been dismissed twice,” King said in a statement. “We are confident that the motion based on a new and inapplicable statute will fail.”
Walters’ legal team strongly disputes that characterization, arguing that the law could not have been raised earlier because it was not yet in effect. They maintain that AB 250 was designed to prevent otherwise viable claims from being dismissed on procedural grounds alone.
Walters was among several women who publicly accused Warner of abuse beginning in early 2021. That year, Rolling Stone published an extensive investigation into the allegations, based on interviews with more than 50 sources. Warner has since reached settlements with some accusers and dropped defamation claims he previously filed against actress Evan Rachel Wood.
A hearing on Walters’ motion has been scheduled; the outcome could make the case one of the first significant tests of AB 250’s retroactive reach and may help clarify how broadly California courts will apply the new statute.
