Marilyn Manson’s former personal assistant, Ashley Walters, has won the right to revive her sexual assault lawsuit against the singer and take it to trial, Deadline reports. The same judge who last month dismissed the long-running case, citing the statute of limitations, ruled that it is now legally eligible due to a new California law extending that statute. The judge set a court date of March 27 to review developments.
The new law, Assembly Bill 250, was signed by California Governor Gavin Newsom last year but took effect just after last month’s dismissal. Steve Cochran, the L.A. Superior Court judge who has recently overseen the case, had initially ruled that he lacked the authority to apply the delayed discovery rule, due to the 10-year gap between Walters’ stint working with Manson and the 2021 lawsuit. Walters and her lawyers had argued that repressed memories delayed the filing. When an appellate panel ruled that she should be given a chance to prove as much, however, her lawyers failed to persuade Judge Cochran.
Walters’ attorney Bina Ahmad told Deadline that her client “has had to overcome a lot of obstacles, as so many survivors are forced to do. Mr. Warner has tried time and again to avoid accountability for his abuse against Ms. Walters. But now, thanks to AB 250, abusers like Mr. Warner can no longer hide behind the statute of limitations.”
Manson denies Walters’ claims of sexual assault. Last year, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department dropped its pursuit of criminal charges against Manson, citing the statute of limitations and difficulty proving “charges of sexual assault beyond a reasonable doubt.”
