Marilyn Manson Accuser Recants Sexual Assault Allegation, Claims Evan Rachel Wood ‘Manipulated’ Her

One of the various girls who’ve accused Marilyn Manson of sexual assault has recanted.

Ashley Morgan Smithline alleged in May 2021 that the musician raped, brainwashed, and reduce her throughout their relationship. She was certainly one of greater than a dozen girls who accused Manson, whose actual identify is Brian Warner, of sexual assault.

In a authorized submitting obtained Thursday by Page Six, nevertheless, Smithline recanted her story. She additionally claimed Evan Rachel Wood, who first outed Manson as her alleged abuser in February 2021, “manipulated” the mannequin into submitting her allegation within the first place.

“I succumbed to pressure from Evan Rachel Wood and her associates to make accusations of rape and assault against [Manson] that were not true,” stated Smithline within the new authorized submitting obtained by the outlet.

Smithline claimed she was welcomed into group conferences with different Manson victims in 2020 and repeatedly advised by individuals that she was “whipped, chained, tied up, branded, cut, assaulted while sleeping, beaten, or raped” by Manson however couldn’t bear in mind it.

Smithline claimed she advised them “this did not happen to me,” however alleged Wood stored suggesting “just because she could not remember” that it “did not necessarily mean that it did not happen” and allegedly advised Smithline she had merely “repressed” these reminiscences.

“While at first, I knew Mr. Warner did not do these things to me, I eventually began to question whether he actually did,” claimed Smithline within the submitting.

A consultant for Wood didn’t instantly reply to a request for remark.

Smithline stated she was so satisfied that she allowed Wood’s companion Illma Gore to publish “untrue statements” about “violence and non-consensual sexual activity” to her Instagram in February 2021. Smithline grew to become the fourth girl to sue Manson in June of that yr.

Smithline’s lawsuit alleged sexual assault, sexual battery, intentional infliction of emotional misery, human trafficking, illegal imprisonment and extra, Rolling Stone reported. She claimed Manson promised to forged her in a movie, just for an abusive relationship to start.

On “The View” in June 2021, Smithline claimed Manson “had sex with my unconscious body” and “made it clear that my life was definitely in danger.” She alleged in her submitting that Wood “advised her” to come back ahead. Smithline’s case was dismissed final month.

“She was a reluctant participant from the get-go,” Howard King, Manson’s legal professional, advised Page Six. “For a moment in time, having been questioned so many times by Evan Rachel Wood about this ‘repressed memory’…she believed it for a minute.”

King added Smithline’s legal professional Jay Ellwanger was “given to her” by Esmé Bianco, a fellow Manson accuser who settled out of court docket in January. Ellwanger allegedly drafted Smithline’s criticism “without talking to her about what the factual allegations were” earlier than submitting it.

Smithline additionally echoed King’s assertion to Page Six that she wasn’t being paid to recant her accusation and stated she felt “manipulated by Ms. Wood, Ms. Gore, Ms. Bianco, and Mr. Ellwanger to spread publicly false accusations of abuse against Mr. Warner.”

While not all the dozen-plus girls who’ve accused Manson of sexual impropriety have taken their claims to court docket, there are two girls — certainly one of whom was a teen when Manson allegedly assaulted her — whose lawsuits stay lodged.

Need assist? Visit RAINN’s National Sexual Assault Online Hotline or the National Sexual Violence Resource Center’s web site.