Marilyn Manson Set To Pay Ex Fiancée's Attorney Fees After Calling Truce On Defamation Lawsuit

Marilyn Manson has finally settled his years-long abuse drama with his ex-fiancée, actress Evan Rachel Wood.

The rockstar, born Brian Hugh Warner, sued his former lover for defamation in 2022. He claimed she falsely accused him of sexual and physical abuse and also encouraged other women to do the same.

Last year, a Los Angeles County judge dismissed most of Marilyn Manson's claims against Evan Rachel Wood, but he refused to give up. The rock musician was appealing the legal umpire's decision when he and his ex-fiancée settled their differences.

Although Manson sued Wood for defamation in 2022, his fight against the actress began two years earlier. At the time, the "Westworld" actress alleged that she was "horrifically abused" by the singer during their relationship.

Wood and Manson revealed they were a couple in 2007 and got engaged in 2010 before breaking up. The pair butted heads in court, throwing back-and-forth arguments and claims about each other. 

The actress's attorney, Michael J. Kump, said in a statement that Manson: "Filed a lawsuit against Ms. Wood as a publicity stunt to try to undermine the credibility of his many accusers and revive his faltering career. But his attempt to silence and intimidate Ms. Wood failed."

Following their heated public responses, Manson and Wood's attorneys revealed they had settled their differences on Tuesday, November 26. Page Six reported the rocker's legal rep, Howard King, confirmed the good news in a statement, saying:

"After four years of fighting a battle where he was able to tell the truth, Brian is pleased to dismiss his still-pending claims and appeal in order to close the door on this chapter of his life."

Manson was in the middle of his appeal when his attorneys contacted Wood's team for a potential settlement in the Spring. The actress's legal reps revealed she rejected requests to keep the terms confidential.

On that note, part of their deal reportedly included Manson's agreement to pay nearly $327,000 for Wood's attorney fees. He previously settled with Ashley Gore, also known as Illma Gore, whom he named in his 2022 defamation lawsuit.

However, the judge dismissed Gore's part of the suit, forcing Manson to pay her $130,000 in attorney fees. While his chapter with Wood appeared to be over, the same could not be said about the singer's criminal investigation.

Manson and Wood’s resolution comes nearly four years into a criminal investigation about the singer’s involvement with multiple women. The case was far from settled, with outgoing LA County District Attorney George Gascón sharing updates in October.

He revealed his office’s sex crimes division had uncovered new evidence. However, a decision on whether to file charges against Manson would be made when they had a clearer picture of what happened. While most women involved in the case have not been identified, some have boldly stepped up.

Like Wood, actress Esme Bianco claimed she was among Manson’s abuse victims. The “Game of Thrones” star criticized the district attorney for taking too long to investigate the rock musician, who has vehemently denied engaging in non-consensual sexual acts.

While appealing the judge's dismissal of his defamation lawsuit, Manson filed new allegations against his ex-fiancée. The Blast reported that he accused Wood of forging a fake letter from a real FBI agent.

He claimed the document made it look like he was under federal investigation and his alleged "victims" were in danger. The singer noted the forged letter proved Wood and her co-conspirator Gore had orchestrated fake sexual abuse accusations against him.

Manson argued that Wood only denied not forging the FBI letter but did not refute the letter was fake. He also slammed her and Gore for running a malicious smear campaign while painting himself as the victim.

In his arguments, Manson accused Wood of spreading false narratives about him by digging up information from former employees, hacking his accounts, and creating fake emails. He claimed she got him "swatted" at his house to draw more attention to her lies.

As for his defamation lawsuit, Manson stressed that it should have never been dismissed. He argued that the lower court judge did not consider all the facts, especially an alleged confession from one of his accusers.

The woman reportedly recanted her false allegations of abuse, claiming she felt pressured by Wood to lie. The rock singer initially hoped to revive his defamation case by using this claim and the forged FBI letter, but he found peace in settling the case.

Will Marilyn Manson escape his criminal investigation, or is he heading for another legal battle?