Final week within the defamation court docket case towards Evan Rachel Wooden and Illma Gore, Marilyn Manson’s authorized group filed a declaration assertion from Ashley Morgan Smithline. Smithline, whose sexual assault lawsuit towards Manson was dismissed in January, recanted her assault allegations towards Manson within the declaration and claimed that she was “manipulated” by Wooden and Gore to make false accusations. As we speak, a decide denied Manson’s software to incorporate Smithline’s declaration as proof, court docket paperwork considered by Pitchfork affirm.
Shortly after Smithline’s declaration was filed, a consultant for Wooden launched an announcement in response. Wooden filed a declaration herself in court docket on Monday, which reiterated the identical factors: “I by no means pressured or manipulated Ashley Morgan Smithline to make any accusations towards Plaintiff Brian Warner, and I actually by no means pressured or manipulated her to make accusations that weren’t true. It was Ms. Smithline who first contacted me in March 2019.” Wooden submitted screenshots of alleged Instagram DMs between Smithline and Wooden as proof.
Wooden’s attorneys additionally submitted e mail correspondence that purportedly reveals a timeline the place Manson’s group distributed Smithline’s declaration to media retailers on February 22, sooner or later earlier than it was filed in court docket. (A member of Manson’s authorized group emailed the declaration to Pitchfork after the movement was filed.) Wooden’s attorneys argue that “Smithline’s timeline is disproven by documented proof,” that she “confronted stress and harassment after submitting her federal lawsuit, together with from plaintiff’s attorneys,” that the declaration is inadmissible as a result of it was electronically “DocuSigned,” and that “Smithline doesn’t exhibit outrageous conduct by defendants.” Additionally they observe that Manson’s group didn’t request to depose Smithline beforehand when granted the chance in discovery.
After the decide requested Manson’s lawyer throughout Tuesday’s listening to why they didn’t search to depose Smithline, the lawyer claimed that they didn’t as a result of the decide denied a number of deposition requests and claimed “it wouldn’t have made a distinction,” Rolling Stone stories. “We don’t know that,” the decide responded. “However you didn’t do it so we’re the place we’re. Even with that, there actually isn’t any clarification as to why that is effervescent up at the moment.”
“It’s unsurprising that Evan Rachel Wooden is desperately combating to maintain Ashley Smithline’s testimony out of court docket—as a result of she is aware of the reality will expose her plot to control the ladies who trusted her to be able to destroy Brian Warner,” Manson’s lawyer Howard King mentioned in an announcement. “Brian Warner by no means abused anybody. Ashley Smithline has advised the reality. It’s sadly predictable that Evan Rachel Wooden—somebody who has already filed a solid FBI letter below oath in different court docket proceedings—stays dedicated to not doing the identical.”
King additionally claimed that Smithline reached out to him initially , not the opposite method round. “I by no means mentioned Ashley Smithline’s claims towards Brian Warner till after she had reached out to me and terminated her counsel,” including {that a} two-hour taped dialog between them “proves that each single factor in her declaration was taken from her phrases, not mine.”
“Evan’s filled with shit. That’s my remark,” Smithline advised Rolling Stone. “She’s saying something she will to discredit me.”
Gore’s attorneys dubbed Smithline’s declaration a part of Manson and his attorneys’ “public relations marketing campaign” and an instance of “frivolous litigation techniques.” They proceed: “Their try and introduce a brand new declaration that gives no actual evidentiary help for his case is one other instance of their abuse of the judicial system, and one this Court docket shouldn’t enable. … It’s ironic that Plaintiff now urges the significance of Ms. Smithline’s declaration and credibility after he himself known as her a liar for 2 years.”
Pitchfork has reached out to Wooden’s representatives for touch upon at present’s listening to.