Marilyn Manson, Esme Bianco Settle Sexual Assault Lawsuit

Actress Esmé Bianco and Marilyn Manson have reached an out-of-court settlement for the sexual assault lawsuit she filed against him and his business, Marilyn Manson Records, Inc., in 2021. The actress, who appeared on Game of Thrones, alleged the singer, whose real name is Brian Warner, had raped and battered her sexually; she also claimed he had violated California human trafficking laws. The terms of the agreement are unknown.

“Ms. Bianco has agreed to resolve her claims against Brian Warner and Marilyn Manson Records, Inc. in order to move on with her life and career,” her lawyer, Jay Ellwanger, tells Rolling Stone. “Ms. Bianco has agreed to resolve her claims against Brian Warner and Marilyn Manson Records, Inc.,” Warner’s attorney, Howard King, tells Rolling Stone.Bianco was one of more than a dozen women to come forward with allegations of sexual abuse against Warner after actress Evan Rachel Wood claimed on Instagram that Warner had abused her in Feb. 2021. Bianco — who, with Wood, co-created the Phoenix Act, which expands the rights for survivors of domestic violence — was the first woman to file a lawsuit against him. “Mr. Warner used drugs, force, and threats of force to coerce sexual acts from Ms. Bianco on multiple occasions,” the filing said. “Mr. Warner raped Ms. Bianco in or around May 2011.” 

The complaint also alleged that Warner had sexually assaulted her while she was unconscious and unable to consent. It also detailed more ways in which he had allegedly abused her: “These acts include spanking, biting, cutting, and whipping Ms. Bianco’s buttocks, breasts, and genitals for Mr. Warner’s sexual gratification — all without the consent of Plaintiff.”

The actress had been living in London when she met the singer, and Warner, she claimed, enticed her to move to Los Angeles to star in a music video that never came out and to act in a movie that never materialized. “By inserting himself in Ms. Bianco’s visa process, Mr. Warner was able to control Ms. Bianco by threatening to withdraw support if she displeased him,” the suit said. She also claimed that at one point, he locked her in a bedroom to prevent her from fleeing. She alleged he also made her work for free, making him food, cleaning his apartment, and singing on an album — all of which violated the state’s trafficking laws. The suit originally named Warner’s former manager, Tony Ciulla, as a defendant, but his name was later removed.