Marilyn Manson's request to dismiss Esme Bianco's abuse lawsuit denied
A judge has denied Marilyn Manson's bid to dismiss Esme Bianco's sexual abuse lawsuit against him.
The Game of Thrones actress, who was involved with Manson between 2009 and 2013, filed the sexual assault and sexual battery lawsuit against the rocker, real name Brian Warner, in April, accusing him of physically, sexually, psychologically, and emotionally abusing her on multiple occasions.
Manson's legal team tried to get the lawsuit dismissed, citing the statute of limitations, but Judge Fernando L. Aenlle-Rocha of the U.S. District Court of California denied the dismissal and allowed Bianco to proceed with her legal action, according to court documents revealed on Thursday.
The judge also ordered Manson to formally answer to each of the claims made in Bianco's lawsuit within 14 days.
Explaining his decision, the judge wrote that "a reasonable jury could find that the effects of Warner's alleged unconscionable acts, including the perceived threat to Plaintiff's safety, immigration status, and career, persisted years after her last contact with Warner."
Bianco said in a statement to Deadline, "My hope is that this ruling empowers other survivors to pursue justice for themselves while signalling to abusers that they cannot bully victims into silence."
The case is one of four lawsuits that have been filed against Manson this year. The rocker's former personal assistant Ashley Walters, model Ashley Morgan Smithline, and an unnamed woman have also accused him of abuse. The latter case was dismissed in September as a judge determined that the woman did not have enough evidence to override the statute of limitations.
While she has not taken legal action, Westworld actress Evan Rachel Wood also alleged she was abused by the singer and her former fiance earlier this year.
Manson has always maintained his innocence, claiming that all of his sexual relationships have been consensual.
