Esmé Bianco’s harrowing accusations of sexual assault and abuse at the hands of Marilyn Manson are “untrue, meritless,” and part of a “coordinated attack by multiple plaintiffs,” the goth-rocker claims in a new court filing.
Earlier this year, Bianco, a star from the hit HBO series Game of Thrones, stepped forward to join others who’ve accused the musician of years-long abusive behavior. In the lawsuit filed in federal court in Los Angeles, Bianco claimed that Manson violated human trafficking law by bringing her to California from England under the false pretenses of roles in music videos and movies that never materialized.
According to Bianco’s suit, Manson, whose real name is Brian Warner, deprived her of food and sleep, plied her with alcohol and drugs, locked her in a bedroom, whipped her, gave her electric shocks, and made threats to rape her during the night.
Manson denies all of it and says the accusations are part of a conspiracy. In a new motion, seen by Billboard, the veteran artist claims the accusers are “cynically and dishonestly seeking to monetize and exploit the #MeToo movement,” and that the Bianco and others “spent months plotting, workshopping, and fine-tuning” their statements into “twisted tales” that bear no resemblance to reality.
The paperwork, filed Wednesday (July 28) to the United States District Court for the Central District of California (Western Division), brands Bianco and others as “co-conspirators” who are “desperately trying to conflate the imagery and artistry of Warner’s ‘shock rock’ stage persona, ‘Marilyn Manson,’ with fabricated accounts of abuse.” His attorney has separately said Bianco’s claims are “provably false.”
Earlier this month, Manson turned himself in to the Los Angeles Police Department July 2 on an outstanding arrest warrant on assault charges relating to an alleged 2019 incident in New Hampshire. He has since been released on personal recognizance bail.
The singer is facing lawsuits from four women who claim that he sexually, physically and emotionally assaulted them; Warner has repeatedly denied the allegations.
In a Feb. 1 Instagram post, he wrote, “My intimate relationships have always been entirely consensual with like-minded partners. Regardless of how – and why – others are now choosing to misrepresent the past, that is the truth.” He called the allegations “horrible distortions of reality.”
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