A woman who once worked for Marilyn Manson sued the shock rocker, but this week, a California judge dismissed the case. Ashley Walters claimed that she worked as Manson's assistant until she was fired in 2011. Walters recently sued Manson, alleging that he "engaged in threatening behavior," looked at her as if she was "his property," and would offer her over to "his influential industry friends and associates." After she was let go, Walters alleged that the singer continued to harass her with accusations that she stole from his home and tried ruining his career.
Back in January, Walters's lawsuit was initially dismissed but a judge allowed her legal team to refile. However, she found a second dismissal today (May 25) because the judge claimed that the "plaintiff has plead too few facts to keep this case in court."
Additionally, The Insider reported that the judge also stated that this case was filed "too late," as the statute of limitations had expired. This dismissal comes "with prejudice," meaning that Walters cannot refile this case with the same allegations again.
Walters's attorneys at Valli Kane & Vagnini LLP and Hadsell Stormer Renick & Dai LLP released this statement to E! News:
"We are deeply disappointed in the court's decision today. If allowed to stand, this decision would drastically limit the ability of victims of abuse to obtain justice through the legal system. 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. We remain confident that a full review of the facts in this case will result in a successful appeal, which we plan on filing."
While this is a victory for Manson, it is a minor one; the singer is facing a slew of other allegations and lawsuits that are still awaiting a conclusion.
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