Marilyn Manson: why Game of Thrones star Esmé Bianco is suing singer - and Evan Rachel Wood claims explained

The lawsuit against Manson alleges sexual, physical and emotional abuse, as well as violations of US human trafficking laws
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Game of Thrones star Esmé Bianco is suing Marilyn Manson, real name Brian Hugh Warner, accusing him of sexual, physical and emotional abuse.

This is everything you need to know.

Why is Marilyn Manson being sued?

Bianco met Manson in 2005 through his ex-fiance, Dita Von Teese (Photo: Kevin Winter/Angela Weiss/Getty Images)Bianco met Manson in 2005 through his ex-fiance, Dita Von Teese (Photo: Kevin Winter/Angela Weiss/Getty Images)
Bianco met Manson in 2005 through his ex-fiance, Dita Von Teese (Photo: Kevin Winter/Angela Weiss/Getty Images)

Bianco is suing Manson over accusations of sexual, physical and emotional abuse.

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The lawsuit says that Bianco was first introduced to Manson in 2005, where he “expressed an interest in casting [Bianco], who was beginning her acting career, in an upcoming film project”.

It continues: “Over the next few years, the film project continued to be delayed, but [Manson] remained in touch with Ms. Bianco.

“[Manson] floated other projects for Ms. Bianco, but none materialised.”

The document goes on to explain that in 2009, Manson flew Bianco out from England to Los Angeles to allegedly film a music video for his song I Want To Kill You Like They Do in the Movies.

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According to the lawsuit, Bianco was expected to stay at Mansons home rather than a hotel that had been previously booked, there was no filming crew present and she was expected to be on call 24/7 and as a result, was subjected to sleep deprivation.

The document says that Bianco was also not given food for the four days she spent in LA, but was given drugs and alcohol, was “threatened and physically beaten” by Manson, who repeatedly told Bianco that “he would come to her room and rape her during the night”.

From 2009 to 2011, Bianco and Manson had a long distance relationship, and in 2011 she moved out to LA under the impression that she would appear in a feature film called Phantasmagoria, which was never released.

During this time, the lawsuit states that Bianco endured “constant abuse”, and in May 2011, was raped by Manson. The document alleges that Manson “committed sexual battery against Ms. Bianco on multiple occasions through her time in Los Angeles in 2011”.

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The lawsuit adds: "It took Ms Bianco years to understand the extent of [Manson’s] physical, sexual, psychological, and emotional abuse. Her career suffered due to the deterioration of her mental health.

“She deals with complex post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety, depression, and panic attacks to this day as a result."

What does the lawsuit say about human trafficking?

The document says that Manson “employed fraud to bring Ms. Bianco to the United States” by promising work opportunities that never appeared, and “inserting himself in her visa process”.

The lawsuit says that Manson used “both fraudulent offers of movie and music video roles to convince Ms. Bianco to travel to Los Angeles, whereupon [Manson] then made threats of force and performed violent sexual acts on Ms. Bianco to which she did not consent”.

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The lawsuit also accuses Tony Ciulla, who managed Manson for 25 years before dropping him in February 2021, of “supporting [Manson’s] violent tendencies” and also allegedly violating US human trafficking laws.

Has Manson responded to the lawsuit?

Manson has responded to the lawsuit, speaking through his attorney Howard E. King, denying the allegations.

In a statement, King said: “These claims are provably false.

“To be clear, this suit was only filed after my client refused to be shaken down by Ms. Biano and her lawyer and given in to their outrageous financial demands based on conduct that simply never occurred.

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“We will vigorously contest these allegations in court and are confident that we will prevail.”

Does Manson have other allegations against him?

Manson has faced a number of similar accusations against him over the years.

In February this year, Westworld star Evan Rachel Wood named Manson as the man who “groomed” her as a teenager and “horrifically abused her for years” in an Instagram post.

After Wood’s Instagram post was released, four other women, including Bianco, came forward with similar allegations.

Wolf Alice singer Ellie Rowsell also said in a Tweet that Manson used a GoPro camera to film up her skirt.

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