Marilyn Manson Sexual Assault Case Brought by Former Assistant Ashley Walters Gets November 2027 Trial Date

A Los Angeles County judge has set a jury trial date of 15 November 2027 in the sexual assault case brought by Ashley Walters, Marilyn Manson's former assistant, against the musician.

Judge Steve Cochran assigned the date at a hearing on 12 August 2026, according to Rolling Stone. The case — filed in 2021 and dismissed and revived twice — now has a fixed slot on the court calendar, though Manson's legal team says it may never reach a jury.

Manson's lawyer, Howard King, said in a statement after the hearing that the defence is confident the case will be dismissed after an upcoming motion for summary judgment is heard. A summary judgment motion asks the court to rule in favour of one side without a trial, arguing that no genuine factual dispute remains.

The path to this trial date has been anything but straight. Walters first filed suit in 2021, shortly after stepping forward publicly in February of that year alongside multiple women — including actor Evan Rachel Wood — who accused Manson of physical and emotional abuse. Manson, whose legal name is Brian Warner, has denied wrongdoing in connection with Walters' allegations.

A judge dismissed the lawsuit as untimely in May 2022, meaning it had been filed too late under the applicable statute of limitations. An appellate panel later revived it. Judge Cochran then dismissed the case again on 16 December 2025, again on statute-of-limitations grounds, according to the law firm Hadsell & Stormer and Deadline.

Walters filed a motion for reconsideration on 7 January 2026. The court granted it, reinstating the case on 26 January under California Assembly Bill 250, a law that opened a two-year window for certain previously time-barred sexual assault claims to proceed.

Manson's lawyers had argued that Walters' allegations did not qualify for revival under AB 250 because she could not show she was physically restrained during the alleged sexual touching. In June, Judge Cochran rejected Manson's latest effort to dismiss or narrow Walters' third amended complaint, clearing the way for the trial date now set.

Walters alleges that Manson pushed her onto a bed in May 2010 at his West Hollywood home studio, pinned her arms, tried to kiss her, bit her ear, and forced her hand into his underwear. She also claims that while working as his assistant he whipped her, threw plates at her, forced her to stand on a chair for long periods, and hurled her into a wall during drug-fuelled rages.

Additionally, Walters alleges she secretly brought food and drinks to Manson's "starving and distraught" girlfriends while they hid in his home, and that she witnessed him throw a prop skull at Evan Rachel Wood with enough force to leave a large welt.

The case now moves toward the summary judgment hearing, the outcome of which will determine whether the November 2027 trial date holds.