Ashley Walters' lawsuit against Marilyn Manson has been dismissed. On Wednesday, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Michael L. Stern dismissed Walters' lawsuit against the singer just over a year after she sued him for sexual assault, battery and harassment, ET confirms.
The judge cited "too few facts" and the suit being filed "too late" as the reasons for the dismissal, Insider reports. The case was dismissed with prejudice, meaning Walters, Manson's former assistant, cannot sue him over the same allegations in the future, ET confirms.
Manson's legal team confirmed the dismissal to ET, but had no statement at this time. Walters' attorneys from Valli Kane & Vagnini LLP and Hadsell Stormer Renick & Dai LLP tell ET in a statement that they are "deeply disappointed in the court’s decision."
"If allowed to stand, this decision would drastically limit the ability of victims of abuse to obtain justice through the legal system," the statement reads. "We clearly pleaded the facts of this case in the complaint detailing the trauma and abuse Ashley endured, which prevented her from coming forward sooner."
"While the court based its decision on the timeliness of Ashley's claims and not the merits, we disagree with the court's interpretation of the law as it applies to equitable estoppel and the delayed filing of abuse claims," the statement continues. "We remain confident that a full review of the facts in this case will result in a successful appeal, which we plan on filing."
Walters released a statement too, telling ET, "Nobody gets to choose exactly how they process abuse or threats."
"I am disheartened in the court’s decision today not just for my case, but for the message it sends to other survivors out there trying to balance how they process abuse with arbitrary court deadlines," Walters' statement reads. "We will not let this hurdle stop us from shining a light on what happened to me and others."
In her suit for sexual assault, battery and harassment, which was previously obtained by ET, Walters alleged that Manson "used his position of power, celebrity and connections to exploit and victimize her during her employment."
At the time, a member of Manson's team vehemently denied any accusations of assault to ET. Manson himself previously denied allegations of abuse and violence that were made against him by several ex-girlfriends, calling them "horrible distortions of reality" and claiming that his relationships have "always been entirely consensual with like-minded partners."
In her suit, Walters alleged that Manson once bit her ear and grabbed her hand and placed it in his underwear and that the singer isolated her and refused to allow her to visit family on most holidays or to take time off.
Walters additionally claimed that Manson "commonly offered [her] up to his influential industry friends and associates," and alleged that, during one outing, a director repeatedly groped her throughout the night.
The court documents also named two of Manson's ex-girlfriends, Evan Rachel Wood and Esmé Bianco, with Walters claiming that she "was forced to witness the abuse he inflicted on women."
Walters alleged that Manson fired her in 2011 but continued to "threaten her, accused her of stealing artwork from his home, and hacked into her Facebook account."
If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233, or go to thehotline.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential.
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