Marilyn Manson Sees Judge Gut Rocker’s Defamation Case Against Evan Rachel Wood Over Abuse Allegations

deadline.com:

Shock rocker Marilyn Manson just got a legal shock as a California judge tossed out most of the fading musician’s defamation case against Evan Rachel Wood over the Westworld actress’ claims of abuse during the former couple’s relationship. “The Court grants Wood’s special motion to strike in part,” wrote , LA Superior Court Judge Teresa A.

Beaudet Tuesday in a multi-pronged tentative order that has just become final (read it here). Emphasizing the Golden State’s anti-SLAPP statute and its protect of individual free speech, Judge Beaudet took a lot of the guts out of Manson a.k.a.

Brian Warner’s suit of March 2022. While Manson’s case can proceed on the remaining counts, the big-ticket items are pretty much dead, at least for now.

Among the claims now out of the suit are Manson and his lawyers attempts to taint Wood with penning a fictitious FBI letter and preparing a checklist of sorts for alleged Manson victims to draw from.   “We are very pleased with the Court’s ruling, which affirms and protects Evan’s exercise of her fundamental First Amendment rights,” Wood’s lead attorney Michael Kump told Deadline after the order out of a hearing today was finalized. “As the Court correctly found, Plaintiff failed to show that his claims against her have even minimal merit.” Suffering a second successive loss in the case, Manson’s team had their own take on the judge’s decision, and how they aim to take another swing. “The ruling is disappointing but not unexpected.