Marilyn Manson
An actress sued singer Marilyn Manson on Friday for an alleged pattern of sexual abuse. Plaintiff Esmé Bianco, who had a recurring role as Ros in the early seasons of Game of Thrones, was one of the women who previously stepped forward with claims against the provocateur musician. She went one step further with her story by filing in a California federal court.
In her complaint, she described Manson (real name Brian Hugh Warner) engaging in a years-long campaign of control and abuse against her, which escalated when he convinced her to fly to Los Angeles for a music video. But there was allegedly no crew, he made her stay at his home, forced her to be on-call 24/7, plied her with drugs and alcohol, threatened her, and beat her.
“He forced Ms. Bianco to watch an extremely violent movie that caused her to faint,” the lawsuit stated. “He attempted to force her to perform sexual acts on camera with another woman who
was present throughout the shoot. Perhaps most horrifyingly, Mr. Warner locked Ms. Bianco in the bedroom, tied her to a prayer kneeler, and beat her with a whip that Mr. Warner said was utilized by the Nazis. He also electrocuted her.”
According to the complaint, issues continued through May 2009, when they began a sexual relationship during his visit to London. He convinced her in April 2011 to move to Los Angeles to live with him. Again, he was described as being controlling, and also threatening to interfere with her visa process. The defendant allegedly kept the apartment in “near-total darkness,” wanted the temperature to always remain at 63 degree Fahrenheit, was verbally abusive to Bianco, threw objects, and berated her for things, including voicing concern about him playing violent and sexual films throughout the apartment.
“On one occasion, Mr. Warner chased Plaintiff around the apartment with an ax, smashing holes in the walls,” the lawsuit stated. “On another occasion, Mr. Warner cut Ms. Bianco with a Nazi knife during sex, without her consent, and photographed the cuts on her body. He then posted the photos online without her consent.”
The plaintiff asserts she suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety, depression, and panic attacks because of what happened.
“It took Ms. Bianco years to understand the extent of Mr. Warner’s physical, sexual, psychological, and emotional abuse,” the lawsuit stated.
Talent manager Tony Ciulla, who reportedly dropped Manson as a client amid sexual abuse claims that emerged this year, is a co-defendant in the complaint. The plaintiff asserted he knew about the abuse, and let it continue.
“These claims are provably false,” Manson attorney Howard E. King said in a statement obtained by Deadline. “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.”
[Image via Charley Gallay/Getty Images for iHeartMedia]
