Sexual Assault and Battery Lawsuit

According to the lawsuit, Esmé Bianco and Marilyn Manson “began a sexual relationship” in May 2009. While the lawsuit describes the relationship as “consensual,” it’s also stated that Manson “publicly groped [Bianco] against her consent” and “verbally degraded her during interviews.”

In April 2011, Manson allegedly “convinced” Bianco, who is English, to move to Los Angeles to star in the still-unreleased movie Phantasmagoria and also help her secure a visa. According to the lawsuit: “Ms. Bianco spent two and a half months with Mr. Warner, enduring constant abuse. Mr. Warner controlled Ms. Bianco’s movements and threatened to interfere with her visa process. Mr. Warner alternately kept Ms. Bianco awake for days at a time and then would lock her out of the apartment overnight. She was not permitted to leave the apartment without permission, nor was she permitted to receive visitors.”

In addition, Bianco alleges that Manson once “chased [her] around the apartment with an ax, smashing holes in the walls.” Another time, according to the suit, Manson “cut [her] 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.”

Bianco claims she “escape[d]” the Los Angeles apartment in June 2011 while Manson was asleep. Two years later, Bianco says she attended a Marilyn Manson concert in Las Vegas, where, afterward, Manson “forcibly kissed her without her consent and attempted to block her from leaving.” She says she was able to leave with the help of her friends.

According to the lawsuit, Bianco’s career has “suffered due to the deterioration of her mental health caused by [Marilyn Manson],” and that she deals with post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety, and panic attacks.

In addition to the claims of sexual assault and sexual battery, Bianco alleges that Manson violated the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act because Manson “used both fraudulent offers of movie and music video roles to convince [her] to travel to Los Angeles, whereupon [he] then made threats of force and performed violent sexual acts on [her] to which she did not consent.”

Bianco names Tony Ciulla and Ciulla Management in her lawsuit because, she claims, they “knew of [Marilyn Manson’s] conduct and benefitted financially from allowing this abuse to continue.”

Pitchfork has emailed Marilyn Manson’s attorney Howard E. King, as well as an address for Tony Ciulla and Ciulla Management. When reached by Pitchfork, representatives provided the following statement from Esmé Bianco:

As millions of survivors like myself are painfully aware, our legal system is far from perfect. This is why I co-created the Phoenix Act, a law which gives precious additional healing time to thousands of domestic violence survivors. But while I fight for a more just legal system, I am also pursuing my right to demand my abuser be held to account, using every avenue available to me.

For far too long my abuser has been left unchecked, enabled by money, fame and an industry that turned a blind eye. 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.

In addition, Bianco’s attorney Jay Ellwanger stated:

I am inspired by Ms. Bianco’s courage and dedication to holding Brian Warner accountable. While we understand that the criminal investigations are still ongoing, it is vital that we pursue every possible avenue to hold him accountable for the horrific acts he committed.