Another of Marilyn Manson's Many Abuse Lawsuits Dismissed over Statute of Limitations

As originally published by Megan LaPierre on Exclaim!

A Los Angeles Superior Court judge dismissed a lawsuit filed by Marilyn Manson's former assistant over the statute of limitations — which expires two years after the dates of the alleged sex crimes — in court yesterday (May 25).

The following article contains potentially triggering material relating to sexual assault and violence. If you believe you have experienced or witnessed sexual misconduct and are looking for support, consult the Canadian Resource Centre for Victims of Crime to find resources in your area.

Ashley Walters accused the musician (born Brian Warner) of sexual assault, abuse and battery, as well other allegations including intentional infliction of emotional distress, in the suit last year. One of at least four women to take legal action against Warner, she detailed many alleged horrific incidents of violence and abuse — even being forced to stand for 12 hours straight and fed cocaine to stay awake — that took place after she started working for him in August of 2010.

Walters also claimed that she snuck provisions into the rooms where fellow accusers and actors Evan Rachel Wood and Esmé Bianco were held captive during their respective relationships with the accused. Warner terminated her employment in October 2011.

"The plaintiff has pleaded too few facts and too late to keep this case in court," Judge Michael Stern reportedly said in court [via CBS News].

He addressed the statute of limitations in writing: "Reading the first amended complaint as a whole, [Walters] pleads that [she] was aware of the actions against her by the time she left her employment. Thus, nine to 10 years passed until the filing of the action, far beyond the two-year limitations periods of her claims."

"Nobody gets to choose exactly how they process abuse or threats," Walters said in a statement following the ruling. "I am disheartened in the court's decision today not just for my case, but for the message it sends to other survivors out there trying to balance how they process abuse with arbitrary court deadlines. We will not let this hurdle stop us from shining a light on what happened to me and others."

Walters had amended her lawsuit back in March, pleading that she believed she had repressed memories of Warner's alleged abuses until recent years. She added that the defendant's lawyers were threatening "retaliatory legal action" against her for appearing in Wood's Phoenix Rising documentary. Additional recent reverberations on behalf of the musician and his legal team against plaintiffs include Bianco alleging that he had her removed from Deftones tour visuals.

Another one of the several sexual assault lawsuits against Warner was dismissed for the same reason in September. He has denied all of the abuse allegations against him, calling them "horrible distortions of reality."