Rocker Marilyn Manson drops defamation lawsuit against former partner

Musician Marilyn Manson has dropped his defamation lawsuit against his former partner, Evan Rachel Wood, and has agreed to pay the "Westworld" lead actor around $327,000 to cover her legal fees, according to court documents cited by U.S. outlets on Tuesday.

Wood's legal team stated that Manson's attempt to "silence and intimidate" her had ultimately failed, according to the Rolling Stone magazine. Manson's lawyer wrote in a statement that his client was glad to drop the lawsuit to close this chapter of his life.

Manson, whose real name is Brian Warner, filed the lawsuit in Los Angeles in 2022, accusing Wood and her friend Illma Gore of falsely portraying him as a rapist and abuser and encouraging other women to make similar claims.

He alleged that these actions damaged his career and sought unspecified damages. However, a judge dismissed most of the lawsuit last year. Manson subsequently filed an appeal.

In 2021, Wood accused Manson of psychologically and sexually abusing her during their relationship in an Instagram post, an allegation he promptly denied.

Since then, multiple women have come forward with similar accusations, leading to various lawsuits against Manson. Some of these cases have since been settled, while others remain ongoing.

Although Manson has kept a low profile musically in recent years, he made his return last week with the release of "One Assassination Under God - Chapter 1," his first album in four years.