After more than a dozen sexual abuse allegations and three lawsuits pending, a fourth suit has been filed against Marilyn Manson.
Earlier this week, Ashley Morgan Smithline, a former girlfriend of the rock musician, filed a complaint against Manson, born Brian Hugh Warner, accusing him of sexual abuse and human trafficking.
Smithline spoke to People magazine in May, saying in an explosive cover story that Manson had raped her, locked her in a “bad girls room,” cut her and forced her to partake in hard drugs and alcohol.
The 36-year-old said she met Manson in 2010 and that “he lured me in with this endless intelligence.”
In an interview with People published Thursday, Smithline said it was “important for me to come forward the way I have because I live in constant fear even to this day.”
“I am seeking justice because I want to move forward and heal from the terrible abuse I faced,” she said. “I want Brian Warner to be held accountable once and for all.”
In a statement about the lawsuit, Smithline emphasized that she’s “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,” she said. “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.”
The complaint describes an episode where Manson allegedly “grabbed a knife next to the bed and began cutting Ms. Smithline’s shoulder, inner arm, and stomach,” which “drew blood and caused Ms. Smithline to go into shock.”
“To this day, Ms. Smithline bears the scars of Mr. Warner’s cuts,” the complaint says.
It further alleges that Smithline had her nose fractured by Manson, and that she was whipped and “branded” when the singer carved his initials into her body.
New York magazine notes that Smithline is also “suing Manson for damages arising out of human trafficking, claiming she was lured to the U.S.” from overseas “for a project that was never released and expected to repay the singer with ‘labor and sexual intimacy.’”
A spokesperson for Manson “strongly” denied Smithline’s allegations, telling People that there are “so many falsehoods within her claims that we wouldn’t know where to begin to answer them.”
“This relationship, to the limited extent it was a relationship, lasted less than a week in 2010,” Manson’s representative said. “Manson hasn’t seen Ms. Smithline since then.”
At least 15 women have come forward with allegations against Manson after actor Evan Rachel Wood, another former girlfriend of the singer, publicly accused him of abuse earlier this year.
Wood claims that while they dated in the mid-to-late 2000s, Manson “brainwashed and manipulated” her “into submission.”
“I am done living in fear of retaliation, slander, or blackmail,” she wrote in an Instagram post in February. “I am here to expose this dangerous man and call out the many industries that have enabled him, before he ruins any more lives.”
Need help? In the U.S., call 1-866-331-9474 or text “loveis” to 22522 for the National Dating Abuse Helpline.
Need help? In the U.S., call 1-866-331-9474 or text “loveis” to 22522 for the National Dating Abuse Helpline.