Marilyn Manson is headed back to court. The shock rocker will face a jury trial in November 2027 over a sexual assault allegation case that was previously thrown out.
The legal battle stems from a lawsuit brought by a former employee of Manson, Ashley Walters. In 2021, she accused Manson of several infractions that allegedly took place in 2010 and 2011.
In response to the new trial date ruling, Manson’s attorney, Howard King, said they were “confident the case will never get to trial after the court hears our upcoming motion for summary judgment,” per Metal Injection.
Manson has denied all the allegations against him
In her lawsuit, Walters accused Manson of sexual assault, sexual harassment, and sexual battery. She also alleged infliction of emotional distress and accused him of violating multiple California civil codes.
The case ended up being dismissed in May 2022. A judge ruled, at the time, that it exceeded the statute of limitations. The judge also found the lawsuit to contain “too few facts.” Over a year later, in December 2023, Walters and her lawyers filed a revised version of the lawsuit. In December 2025, two years later, the case was dismissed again, due to the statute of limitations.
One month later, in January 2026, Walters returned to court and refiled her lawsuit again, due to AB 250. This is a recently passed California law that creates legal space for her lawsuit. The law establishes an updated time frame for adult sexual abuse survivors to temporarily revive a case that could otherwise exceed the statute of limitations in California.
Manson’s petition to have this case dismissed was denied
Fast forward a few months—to June 2026—and a California judge denied Manson’s request to have the case dismissed. During that hearing, a member of Manson’s legal team, Alexa Foley, argued that Walters’s evidence did not “meet the standard of showing she was physically restrained during her alleged sexual assault.” This would mean that AB 250 could not apply to this particular case. The judge didn’t agree.
“This was not unexpected. It’s a clear invitation for a summary judgment motion,” King told Rolling Stone at the time. “The judge telegraphed explicitly that we’re not at the right stage of the case yet.” Walters’ lawyer, Bina Ahmad, had a different take. “We are obviously pleased,” she told the outlet. “We truly take the inspiration to keep fighting from our client. She’s the brave one.”
At this time, Manson’s attorneys do not appear to have commented on the new trial date.
Photo by Gary Miller/Getty Images
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