A Los Angeles judge has dismissed the sexual assault and battery lawsuit filed against Marilyn Manson by his former assistant, Ashley Walters, bringing a halt to a case that had been scheduled to go to trial in the new year. The ruling does not centre on the substance of the allegations themselves, but on time, and the law’s limits when it comes to how long justice can wait.
Walters accused the musician, whose real name is Brian Warner, of abuse that allegedly took place between 2010 and 2011 while she worked as his personal assistant. She first filed suit in 2021. The case was dismissed in May 2022, revived on appeal in December 2024, and has now been dismissed again.
Explaining the decision, Los Angeles County Judge Steve Cochran said: “We have a situation where the complaint was not filed until about 10 years after the operative events. I’m not able to find that the delayed discovery rule is applicable. I don’t have the authority to rule that the delayed discovery doctrine would apply under the circumstances that exist in this case.”
The delayed discovery rule is designed to pause the statute of limitations when a plaintiff could not reasonably have discovered the harm at the time it occurred. In California, the standard deadline for filing claims of this nature is 10 years. Cochran ruled that the exception could not be applied here, meaning the court was barred from hearing the case regardless of its merits.
Walters’ lawyer, Kate McFarlane, strongly criticised the outcome. “We’re disappointed,” she told Rolling Stone. “We think this is the wrong decision. The delayed discovery rule is specifically to address situations where victims of sexual abuse deserve the ability to seek justice when their abuser has used tactics to prevent them from coming forward.”
McFarlane added: “This is something we see time and time again, and it seems the law hasn’t caught up to the science and what’s right for victims. But I don’t believe this is the end of the road.”
Manson’s attorney, Howard King, welcomed the ruling. “It’s gratifying, after all these years, that a judge can just look at the facts and see that once again, Brian Warner was wrongfully accused,” he said. “It’s nice for him to get some justice, though it was at great personal cost. Now he can move on.”
This case exists within a wider and far more complex legal landscape surrounding Manson. He has faced multiple accusations of sexual abuse over the past several years, including allegations from his ex-fiancée Evan Rachel Wood and actress Esmé Bianco. Bianco’s lawsuit was settled out of court in January 2023. In September 2023, Manson reached a private settlement with another unnamed accuser who alleged rape in 2011.
Manson and his legal team have denied all allegations of sexual misconduct. In January 2025, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department concluded a four-year investigation into the claims, stating they could not prove charges beyond a reasonable doubt and citing the statute of limitations.
Wood responded to that outcome by saying: “My lawyer and I were advised by the Deputy District Attorneys and the Sheriff deputies who investigated the case that there was compelling evidence to support our claims, but that the statute of limitations prevents many of those crimes from being prosecuted.”
“Evidence of violent crimes should not have an expiration date,” she added.
The Walters dismissal underscores a difficult reality: courts can close cases without ever weighing truth, credibility, or harm, not because the allegations lack gravity, but because time has run out. For some, that is justice functioning as designed. For others, it is justice narrowly missed.
