Marilyn Manson sues Evan Rachel Wood, alleging 'conspiracy' to cast him as a rapist and abuser

Shock rocker Marilyn Manson is suing his former fiancée Evan Rachel Wood and the artist Illma Gore, accusing them of concocting an elaborate "conspiracy" to cast him as "a rapist and abuser," thereby derailing his "successful music, TV, and film career."

In a complaint filed Wednesday in Los Angeles Superior Court, Manson (whose real name is Brian Warner) alleges that Wood and Gore (also known as Ashley Gore and identified as Wood's "on-again, off-again romantic partner") recruited women to falsely accuse him of sexual assault, hacked into his social media accounts and computers, created a fake email account to frame him for transmitting illicit pornography, and impersonated an FBI agent to "create the false appearance" that his accusers and their families were in danger. The singer is seeking a jury trial.

Manson's attorney Howard King said in a statement provided to EW, "This detailed complaint has been filed to stop a campaign of malicious and unjustified attacks on Brian Warner. Years after the end of Evan Rachel Wood's long-term relationship with Warner, she and her girlfriend Illma Gore recruited numerous women and convinced them to make false allegations against him."

Wednesday afternoon, Manson tweeted a link to the complaint and wrote, "There will come a time when I can share more about the events of the past year. Until then, I'm going to let the facts speak for themselves."

Representatives for Wood did not immediately respond to EW's request for comment, and Gore did not immediately respond to a direct message sent via Twitter.

Wood, an actress whose credits include the HBO sci-fi series Westworld and the coming-of-age film Thirteen, was in a romantic relationship with Manson from approximately 2006 to 2010. Last year she was one of several women who came forward with allegations of abuse against Manson. She said the singer "horrifically" abused and groomed her during the course of their relationship, which began when she was 19 and he was 38. Manson has denied all such allegations against him, calling them "horrible distortions of reality."

Manson's suit comes about two weeks before the HBO debut of Wood's two-part documentary Phoenix Rising. The film, which premiered at Sundance in January, delves into Wood's allegations against Manson, including the accusation that he "essentially raped" her on camera in 2007, during the making of his "Heart-Shaped Glasses" music video. (Manson again denied the allegations.)

King referenced Phoenix Rising in his statement Wednesday, saying Wood "duped" HBO into "distributing a one-sided 'documentary' premised on the existence of an entirely fictitious federal investigation." EW has reached out to HBO reps for comment.

This article has been updated with Manson's tweet. Additional reporting by Oliver Gettell.

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• Evan Rachel Wood says Marilyn Manson 'essentially raped' her on camera during 'Heart-Shaped Glasses' music video
• Marilyn Manson denies Evan Rachel Wood's allegation that he 'essentially raped' her in music video