Marilyn Manson Files Defamation Suit Against Evan Rachel Wood amid Sex Abuse Allegations

Marilyn Manson has filed a defamation suit against former fiancée Evan Rachel Wood, alleging that she and her girlfriend conspired to bring him down with a series of coerced sexual abuse allegations.

Manson is suing Wood for defamation, emotional distress and "impersonation over the internet," according to a complaint filed Wednesday with the Los Angeles Superior Court and obtained by PEOPLE.

In the complaint, Manson, 53, accuses Wood, 34, and her "romantic partner," artist Illma Gore, of recruiting and pressuring women into making allegations against him, and impersonating FBI agents to further coerce the women by making them believe their families were in danger.

A rep for Wood did not immediately return PEOPLE's request for comment.

Wood is among at least 15 other women who have accused the rocker (born Brian Warner) of sexual assault. Three of his accusers, including ex-girlfriend Ashley Morgan Smithline and Game of Thrones actress Esmé Bianco, have filed lawsuits. Manson has denied all allegations, which he has called "horrible distortions of reality."

Manson alleges in the complaint that the Westworld actress and Gore have "publicly cast [him] as a rapist and abuser — a malicious falsehood that has derailed [his] successful music, TV, and film career."

Manson later shared the complaint to his social media accounts, writing, "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."

Steve Granitz/WireImage; Kevin Winter/Getty Images Evan Rachel Wood (L); Marilyn Manson

Wood first opened up about being sexually assaulted by a "significant other" in 2016, and later testified before Congress in support of multiple pieces of legislation meant to protect survivors of sexual assault. She eventually named Manson as her alleged abuser in February 2021, and in the upcoming HBO documentary Phoenix Rising, claims that he "essentially raped" her on-camera during a 2007 music video shoot.

The complaint accuses Wood and Gore of "forging and distributing a fictitious letter" from an actual FBI agent "to create the false appearance that [Manson's] alleged 'victims' and their families were in danger, and that there was a federal criminal investigation" of him ongoing.

RELATED: Marilyn Manson Denies Evan Rachel Wood's Claim That He 'Essentially Raped' Her in Music Video

Manson alleges the women sent scripts to prospective accusers and outlined specific abuse claims for them to share, and "made knowingly false statements…including the defamatory claim that [Manson] filmed the sexual assault of a minor."

Gore is also accused of using Manson's passwords to hack into his computers, phones, email and social media accounts to "manufacture" evidence that he was emailing illegal pornography.

Manson — who is seeking unspecified damages in "an amount to be determined at trial" —and Wood dated from mid-2006 until early 2011, though the actress has said that she was groomed into the relationship, and likened their romance to being under the influence of his "cult."

In a statement to PEOPLE, Manson's attorney Howard King said the complaint was filed in order to "stop a campaign of malicious and unjustified attacks" on the musician.

John Shearer/WireImage Marilyn Manson, Evan Rachel Wood

"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 – claims that Wood and Gore scripted for them," the statement read. "As part of their plot, Wood and Gore illegally forged a letter impersonating an actual FBI agent and falsely claiming that she was conducting a criminal investigation of Warner. Wood and Gore used that fabricated FBI letter not only to convince others to join their crusade but also to dupe HBO into distributing a one-sided 'documentary' premised on the existence of an entirely fictitious federal investigation. Even though HBO and the producers have been made aware of these serious acts of misconduct, they have thus far chosen to proceed without regard for the facts. But the evidence of wrongdoing by Wood and Gore is irrefutable – and this legal action will hold them to account."

RELATED: Evan Rachel Wood Accuses Marilyn Manson of Sexual Abuse in Powerful Phoenix Rising Trailer

Part one of the two-part Phoenix Rising premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January, and in it, Wood recalled being groomed into a tumultuous relationship with Manson, and said his "first crime" against her was an on-camera rape while filming the "Heart-Shaped Glasses" music video when she was 19.

"It's nothing like I thought it was going to be," Wood said about the music video. "We're doing things that were not what was pitched to me. ... We had discussed a simulated sex scene, but once the cameras were rolling, he started penetrating me for real. I had never agreed to that. I'm a professional actress, I've been doing this my whole life; I've never been on a set that unprofessional in my life up until this day."

King previously denied Wood's allegation, claiming that Manson "did not have sex with Evan on that set, and she knows that is the truth."

The actress explained that she was "scared" to speak out about the incident at the time, citing violence that would "keep escalating over the course of the relationship." She said it took her a "really long time" to stop blaming herself and realize what was happening to her.

If you or someone you know has been a victim of sexual abuse, text "STRENGTH" to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741 to be connected to a certified crisis counselor.