Marilyn Manson Alleges Evan Rachel Wood Forged FBI Letter, Wants Lawsuit Back

More than a year after a California judge dismissed most of Marilyn Manson’s defamation lawsuit against his former girlfriend Evan Rachel Wood, Manson has filed an appeal. He claims that the sexual abuse allegations made by Wood and others were entirely fabricated.

Manson argued in his filing that Wood and her girlfriend Ashley Gore were involved in a scheme to fabricate sexual abuse allegations and encourage other women to do the same. He contends that the trial court judge improperly dismissed his defamation case without considering a sworn statement from a woman who claimed she was pressured into accusing Manson.

Part of this alleged plot, according to Manson, involved creating a fake letter from an FBI agent, suggesting that Manson was under investigation.

Manson, whose real name is Brian Warner, sued Wood and Gore in March 2022 for defamation and intentional infliction of emotional distress. He described what he called a widespread plan to paint him as a sexual abuser.

The previous year, Wood publicly accused Manson, her former fiancé, of being the rapist she had described to a congressional subcommittee three years prior. In that testimony, Wood graphically detailed severe sexual abuse by Manson. Following her public accusation, other women also came forward, saying they too were victimized by him.

According to Manson, Wood and Gore spent years secretly enlisting women to accuse him, all to bolster an ongoing film project. In court documents, Manson called Wood’s allegation that he is a rapist a “malicious falsehood” that has damaged his career in music, TV, and film.

Manson also included an affidavit from Gore’s sister, Bryton Gore, stating she witnessed her sister and Wood fabricating a phony FBI letter to support the allegations against Manson. A copy of this letter has been submitted as evidence.

Wood and Gore filed a motion to dismiss Manson’s lawsuit under California’s anti-SLAPP statute, which aims to prevent powerful individuals from silencing their critics through litigation. Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Teresa Beaudet sided with Wood and Gore, dismissing most of the case.

Judge Beaudet struck Manson’s emotional distress claim, which was based on the allegedly falsified FBI letter. Manson contended that Wood used the letter in a California custody proceeding and denied fabricating it. The judge did not rule on the letter’s authenticity but stated that even if it was forged, its use in litigation made it “protected activity” under the anti-SLAPP statute.

Manson’s claims of hacking and wrongful impersonation were allowed to remain.

In his appeal, as reported by TMZ, Manson argues that there is significant evidence pointing to a coordinated smear campaign against him. He maintains that the FBI letter, which he believes was forged by Wood, should have been considered by the court as evidence. The appeal also mentions that Gore’s sister witnessed Wood creating the letter and that a genuine FBI agent confirmed it was a fake.

Manson’s appeal includes an affidavit from Ashley Lindsay Morgan Smithline, who stated she had a brief, consensual sexual relationship with Manson in 2010. Smithline claimed that later, under pressure from Wood and her associates, she made false accusations of rape and assault against Manson.

Smithline recounted that she was initially contacted by Manson’s former assistant in 2020 to join a group of women who had relationships or experiences with Manson. She participated in one group call and a meeting, during which Wood described instances of sexual violence and asked if Smithline had similar experiences.

Smithline stated:

I remember she asked me whether I had been, among other things, whipped, chained, tied up, branded/cut, assaulted while sleeping, beaten, or raped. She said all of these things happened to Ms. Wood and others, and that when Ms. Wood was with Mr. Warner, every moment was a moment of survival. When I said, no this did not happen to me and this was not my experience, I recall being told by Ms. Wood that just because I could not remember did not necessarily mean that it did not happen.

Smithline further explained that while she knew Manson hadn’t done those things to her, she began to question her memories after discussions with Wood and others. This led her to believe she had been victimized by Manson, and allowed Gore to post a statement on her Instagram accusing Manson of abuse.

Smithline later recanted her allegations, stating that they were untrue. She said:

The narrative posted to my account on or around February 1, 2021 contained untrue statements about Mr. Warner, including that there was violence and non-consensual sexual activity in our brief relationship, and that I had repressed memories of the same. As another example, there was no branding or cutting experienced during the brief relationship and certainly no “Marilyn Manson” initials carved on my body.

Smithline concluded that she never intended to pursue criminal charges against Manson and has no plans to do so. She felt manipulated by Wood and Gore into making false public accusations against Manson.

Wood and Gore have not yet responded to Manson’s appeal. Wood’s lawyer, Michael Kump, stated that Manson’s appeal rehashes meritless claims previously dismissed by the trial court, reiterating that Wood did not fabricate the FBI letter.

Counsel for Manson declined to comment beyond the filing itself.

Source: Law&Crime