May 1 (UPI) — Game of Thrones actor Esmé Bianco has filed a civil lawsuit in California accusing rocker and actor Marilyn Manson of sexual assault.
She filed the federal lawsuit in U.S. District Court for the Central District of California on Friday.
Bianco accused Manson, born Brian Warner, of multiple acts of sexual assault, rape and abuse from 2009 to 2013. She said he raped her in 2011 and used “drugs, force and threats of force to coerce sexual acts,” at times when she was unconscious.
“Ms. Bianco was well aware of the violence Mr. Warner could dole out if she fought back, having been on the receiving end of his temper many times,” the lawsuit says.
“He also supplied drugs to Ms. Bianco and deprived her of sleep and food in order to weaken her physically and mentally and decrease her ability to refuse him.”
The lawsuit also says Manson threatened to rape her during the filming of his music video for the song “I Want to Kill You Like They Do in the Movies.”
Bianco released a statement on Twitter saying she’s fighting for Manson to be held accountable.
“For far too long my abuser has been left unchecked, enabled by money, fame and an industry that turned a blind eye,” she said. “Despite the numerous brave women who have spoken out against Marilyn Manson, countless survivors remain silenced, and some of their voices will never be heard.
“My hope is that by raising mine I will help to stop Brian Warner from shattering any more lives and empower other victims to seek their own small measure of justice.”
Her lawsuit comes amid an investigation by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department into sexual misconduct allegations by his ex-fiancée, actor Evan Rachel Wood, and other women.
Wood accused Manson of abuse in an Instagram post Feb. 1, saying the singer “started grooming” her when she was a teenager and “horrifically abused” her for years. Wood, who met Manson when she was 18 and he was 36, was briefly engaged to the singer in 2010.
Manson denied Wood’s allegations, as well as those by Bianco.
“These claims are provably false,” Manson’s lawyer, Howard E. King, said in a statement emailed to UPI on Saturday.
“To be clear, this suit was only filed after my client refused to be shaken down by Ms. Bianco and her lawyer and give in to their outrageous financial demands based on conduct that simply never occurred. We will vigorously contest these allegations in court and are confident that we will prevail.”
