A former girlfriend of Marilyn Manson who had accused him of abuse has backed away from those allegations in a declaration of support filed in his defamation lawsuit against Evan Rachel Wood.
Ashley Morgan Smithline alleges that she publicly accused Manson of sexual assault and sexual battery only because she was pressured by Wood, according to a declaration filed Thursday in Los Angeles Superior Court.
A representative for Wood did not immediately return a request for comment on the allegations but has previously denied coercing women into making accusations.
Wood has said that she was “horrifically abused” by Manson for years.
Manson has denied any wrongdoing.
The entertainer, whose legal name is Brian Warner, filed a defamation suit against Wood last year, accusing her of having “secretly recruited, coordinated and pressured” women to accuse him of abuse.
Smithline came forward with allegations against Manson in an interview with People magazine in May 2021. She accused him of subjecting her to physical, sexual and psychological abuse between 2010 and 2013.
Manson was accused of conduct that included whipping Smithline, carving his initials into her body and penetrating her while she was unconscious. The People report included a photo of Smithline in a towel, showing what appeared to be a scar on her thigh that she referenced in the interview and alleged was caused by Manson.
Smithline told People that she began to heal only after speaking with other women about their experiences with Manson in 2020. She said that meeting others, including Wood, helped to lessen “these feelings of guilt and shame.”
In the new court document, Smithline says she felt “manipulated” by the women to make the allegations. She said in the declaration of support that she had denied being abused when speaking with Wood in 2020.
“When I said, no this did not happen to me and this was not my experience, I recall being told by Ms. Wood that just because I could not remember did not…
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