Marilyn Manson Sued By 4th Woman, Ashley Smithline, For Sexual Abuse

A fourth woman is suing Brian Hugh Warner, known by his stage name as Marilyn Manson, for sexual abuse.

On June 29, Ashley Morgan Smithline filed a complaint against Manson, accusing him of being a sex trafficker and sexually abusive. Smithline said in court documents that Manson contacted her in 2010 when she was working as a model in Thailand.

According to the documents, Smithline claimed that Manson became obsessed with her and flew her to Los Angeles that same year. Manson also promised her a role in a remake of True Romance. Manson then asked her to move in with him and claimed that he violated the Trafficking Victims Protection Act.

“Mr. Warner knew these offers to be fraudulent. No effort was made to complete production of the film project and to date nothing from that project has been published,” read the suit. “Mr. Warner merely used the film project as a pretense to lure Ms. Smithline to the United States.”

Smithline later claimed that the relationship became toxic. She said in the documents that through 2013, Manson would bit her regularly, leaving visible marks and whipped her many times before uploading pictures of the marks and bruises he gave her on the internet.

“The abuse escalated into Mr. Warner shaking Ms. Smithline and strangling her by putting his hand in her mouth,” the lawsuit stated. “On yet another occasion, Mr. Warner threw a Nazi knife at Ms. Smithline, only barely missing her face. Mr. Warner also burned Ms. Smithline.”

Smithline made a statement after filing the lawsuit, saying that Manson must be held accountable.

“I said it before and I’ll say it again – I am not a victim, I am a survivor and my decision today to seek justice is me standing up to demand that my abuser be held accountable. My hope is that by coming forward and taking these necessary actions against Brian Warner, the world will see exactly who he is and for me it’s worth it if my actions prevent others from getting hurt,” she said.

Smithline’s attorney, Jay Ellwanger, also made a statement.

“Ashley’s decision to pursue this case speaks volumes of her courage and bravery. I am inspired by her and proud to represent her as she continues to seek justice and to hold Brian Warner accountable,” she said.

Manson said that “these claims about me are horrible distortions of reality.”