A sexual assault and battery lawsuit filed againstMarilyn Mansonby his former personal assistant in 2021 has been dropped ahead of a now-scrapped trial in January.
On Dec. 16, Los Angeles County Judge Steve Cochran ruled thatAshley Walters'accusations against the rock musician − which Walters alleges occurred in 2010 and 2011 − fell outside the statute of limitations. The judge said he does not have the authority to allow the case to proceed, despite her legal team's argument that Walters' trauma impaired her ability to come forward sooner.
"We have a situation where the complaint was not filed until about 10 years after the operative events. I'm not able to find that the delayed discovery rule is applicable," Cochran said.
USA TODAY has reached out to Walters' and Manson's representatives for comment. Manson's legal team has previously and vehemently denied any accusations of assault.
The lawsuit was dismissed in May 2022 by a different judge but revived in December 2023 after an appeal.
Walters' attorney Kate McFarlane said Cochran made "the wrong decision,"Rolling Stonereported.
"The delayed discovery rule is specifically to address situations where victims of sexual abuse deserve the ability to seek justice when their abuser has used tactics to prevent them from coming forward. This is something we see time and time again, and it seems the law hasn't caught up to the science and what's right for victims. But I don't believe this is the end of the road," McFarlane told the outlet.
What has Ashley Walters said about Marilyn Manson?
In May 2021, Walters accused her former employer − bornBrian Warner− of using his "position of power, celebrity and connections to exploit and victimize (her) during her employment" from August 2010 to October 2011.
Walters said she met Warner in May 2010 at his Hollywood home to discuss "potential creative collaborations" after he reached out to her on social media to praise her artwork, the lawsuit reads.
While she worked as his assistant, Warner allegedly treated her "like his property" and repeatedly "offered Walters up to his influential industry friends and associates," giving his friends permission to grope, kiss and "have her," according to the lawsuit.
She also accused Warner of asking to take "provocative" photographs and said he "routinely encouraged, promoted and expected Walters to 'please' his friends in whatever way they desired," the lawsuit reads.
Esmé Bianco, Evan Rachel Wood also made allegations against Manson
Walters is among more than a dozen women who have publicly accused the embattled musician of abuse.
In April 2021, "Game of Thrones" starEsmé Biancofiled a lawsuit accusing Warner of sexual assault, sexual battery and human trafficking. In February 2021, "Westworld" star and Manson's ex-fiancéeEvan Rachel Woodalleged Warner "horrifically abused" her "for years."
Many of the lawsuits have been settled ordismissed,including Bianco's case, which was settled in January 2023.
In November 2024, Manson dropped hisdefamation lawsuitagainst Wood, who never officially filed a lawsuit, following a two-year legal battle where he accused her of causing emotional distress and spreading the "malicious falsehood" that "publicly cast" him as a "rapist and abuser."
Another ongoing legal battle, filed by a plaintiff identified as Jane Doe, accuses Manson of assaultingher when she was 16.
Earlier this year, the Los Angeles district attorney declined to press chargesagainst Mansonfollowing a years-long investigation into various allegations against the controversial artist. The office said allegations of domestic violence fell outside the statute of limitations and that it could not prove charges of sexual assault beyond a reasonable doubt.
Contributing: Cydney Henderson and Anna Kaufman, USA TODAY
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Marilyn Manson sexual assault suit filed by ex-assistant dropped