Marilyn Manson has dropped his defamation lawsuit against Evan Rachel Wood and agreed to pay her $327,000 in attorney fees, as reported in Deadline.

Wood, who was Manson’s former fiance, publicly accused the rock singer of abuse in 2021, alleging that he subjected her to sexual assault, violence, coercion, intimidation and psychological abuse. 

After Wood’s public statement, several other women came forward with similar allegations, some of whom went on to file civil lawsuits against Manson. In 2022, she released a two-part documentary, Phoenix Rising, which explored her allegations against Manson and her journey towards becoming an advocate for legislation in favour of abuse survivors. 

Manson denied all allegations against him, and launched legal proceedings against Wood in 2022 – much like Johnny Depp’s case against Amber Heard. Unlike Depp, however, Manson’s attempt to silence his accuser has proven unsuccessful. 

In a statement obtained by Rolling Stone, one of Wood’s representatives said, “Marilyn Manson – whose real name is Brian Warner – filed a lawsuit against Ms Wood as a publicity stunt to try to undermine the credibility of his many accusers and revive his faltering career. But his attempt to silence and intimidate Ms Wood failed. As the trial court correctly found, Warner’s claims were meritless. Warner’s decision to finally abandon his lawsuit and pay Ms Wood her full fee award of almost $327,000 only confirms as much.”

In 2023, a judge ruled against portions of Manson’s claim and ordered him to pay Wood’s attorney’s fees. He attempted to appeal this decision, but the fact he has now dropped the case suggests he was unsuccessful.

Still, Manson’s team have attempted to put a positive spin on this outcome. His attorney, Howard King, told Rolling Stone, “After four years of fighting a battle where he was able to tell the truth, Brian is pleased to dismiss his still-pending claims and appeal in order to close the door on this chapter of his life.”

After Depp won his case against Amber Heard, Manson following his example seemed to suggest that wealthy, powerful men had hit on an effective new way to punish the women who accuse them of violence. It seemed like another step in the backlash against MeToo and a wider resurgence of misogyny, a way for men to evade justice and make themselves untouchable. If nothing else, it’s comforting to know that this strategy doesn’t always work.