A lawsuit against singer Marilyn Manson was dismissed without prejudice on Tuesday after Ashley Morgan Smithline attempted to fire her legal representation and did not find new counsel prior to a deadline.
The lawsuit dismissal means that the suit can be brought forward again in the future. Smithline submitted a motion to withdraw representation in October but didn’t get new lawyers by December 5.
Smithline’s original lawsuit included accusations against Manson, whose entire name is Brian Warner, saying that he raped and abused her multiple times from 2010 to 2013.
“We thank and commend Ashley Smithline for dismissing her claims against Brian Warner without seeking or receiving anything in return,” Manson’s lawyer, Howard King, said in a statement given to Fox News Digital.
“Ms. Smithline has refused to be manipulated by others who are trying to pursue their own agendas against Mr. Warner. We wish her well and will continue to work to assure that a significant price will be paid by those who have tried to abuse our legal system,” King added.
Manson has claimed that his and Smithline’s relationship didn’t even last a week in 2010 and that her allegations never happened.
“There are so many falsehoods within her claims that we wouldn’t know where to begin to answer them,” he said in a statement last year shortly after the filing of the suit.
“It has been important for me to come forward the way I have because I live in constant fear even to this day,” Smithline told People when she filed the lawsuit. “I am seeking justice because I want to move forward and heal from the terrible abuse I faced. I want Brian Warner to be held accountable once and for all.”
These are not the only sexual assault accusations that have been lobbed at Manson. Actresses Evan Rachel Wood and Esmé Bianco have both said that he abused them.
Manson has said he did not abuse the women who have come forward, which amount to at least 15 women in addition to Smithline.
An additional sexual abuse investigation was carried out over 19 months by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department and given to District Attorney George Gascón in September.
Gascón’s office said at the time that “there is more material that is still outstanding, however, we do not have a timeline for the additional submission from the LASD,” adding that the “review will take some time, but rest assured, our officer takes these allegations very seriously.”
