Marilyn Manson Is Accused of Raping a 16-Year-Old in Horrific New Lawsuit

Jane Doe alleges Manson groomed and sexually assaulted her as a teenager on multiple occasions in the 90s after she attended one of his shows.

By Audra Heinrichs | January 30, 2023 | 3:55pm

Justice Politics

Marilyn Manson Is Accused of Raping a 16-Year-Old in Horrific New Lawsuit

On Monday, Marilyn Manson (whose real name is Brian Warner) was served with yet another public lawsuit alleging that the accused sexual abuser and shock-rocker groomed and sexually assaulted a minor multiple times in the 1990s.

Per a report from Rolling Stone, Manson and his former labels Interscope and Nothing Records are listed as defendants in the Jane Doe suit. The plaintiff, now an adult, recalls meeting Manson when she was 16 outside of the Dallas venue where he’d just played. Jane Doe says she was waiting to meet Manson outside of his tour bus when he invited her “and one of the other younger girls” aboard. Manson, she claims, was well aware of their ages, as he asked for their school grade and noted their home addresses and phone numbers. Inevitably, the encounter escalated.

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“While on the tour bus, Defendant Warner performed various acts of criminal sexual conduct upon Plaintiff, who was a virgin at the time, including but not limited to forced copulation and vaginal penetration,” the lawsuit reads. “One of the band members watched Defendant Warner sexually assault Plaintiff,” it continues. “Plaintiff was in pain, scared, upset, humiliated and confused. After he was done, Defendant Warner laughed at her…Then Defendant Warner demanded Plaintiff to ‘get the fuck off of my bus’ and threatened Plaintiff that, if she told anyone, he would kill her and her family.”

In the weeks that followed the alleged assault, Doe claims Manson often called her and initiated conversations online, asking her for intimate photos of her and her friends. Eventually, when she was still just 16, he convinced her to travel to New Orleans, where he was performing. When she arrived, she says he complimented her artwork before becoming aggressive and once again sexually assaulted her. “After the second assault, Defendant Warner acted in a kinder manner nicer to Plaintiff and told her that he wanted to see her again.”

The two remained in contact, even after Doe began dating Nine Inch Nails drummer Chris Vrenna. She recalls moving to Los Angeles and attending Manson’s shows, where she was provided with unfettered access to alcohol and drugs. Doe eventually joined Manson’s band on tour and says she spent the next four weeks traversing the country, using substances and spending hours with Manson in which he’d regularly “groom, harass, and sexually abuse” her.

“While she was still a child, Defendant Warner had purposefully and intentionally laid the groundwork necessary to intimidate and control her,” the suit says. “Despite reaching the legal age of majority, that power to psychologically intimidate and control Plaintiff was still present…While in Florida, Plaintiff considered going back home. Plaintiff spoke with Defendant Warner and revealed her vulnerabilities and a general lack of support she felt from her family. As he did on countless occasions, Defendant Warner exploited this vulnerability to keep Plaintiff under his control. Defendant Warner often made Plaintiff feel alone and isolated by telling her that no one understands her other than him, which included her family. At the time, Plaintiff believed Defendant Warner and was compelled to keep following him.”

Doe, who was 19 by then, remained with Manson on tour, where she continued to use drugs. Allegedly, he then began instructing her to have sex with other band members or his assistant at the same time.“Defendant Warner controlled what Plaintiff could do, who could touch Plaintiff, and who he wanted Plaintiff to be with sexually, all while providing Plaintiff with drugs.”

Perhaps the most disturbing accusation lodged in the suit is that Manson’s labels, Interscope and Nothing Records, knew of his “practice” of sexually assaulting minors and actively protected him from recourse. As a direct result, Doe claims to have suffered varying distress, as well as “economic loss and capacity.”

“This suit by this survivor is a giant step in bringing light and heat to an industry that has been hiding perils in plain sight. It’s time to face the music. New laws give survivors the time to take real action for justice and protection,” her attorney Jeff Anderson told Rolling Stone.

The suit was made public just one week after actress and fellow accuser, Esmé Bianco, settled with Manson out of court and nearly one month after Ashley Morgan Smithline stopped pursuing charges against him. Actor Evan Rachel Wood has also accused Manson of horrific abuse, which she described in the documentary Phoenix Rising.

Doe is currently seeking damages to be determined in court. Manson has previously denied all claims of abuse.