A year after the LA County District Attorney’s office decided not to go after the much-accused Marilyn Manson on sexual abuse charges, the faded shock rocker got a big jolt of justice today as a previously dismissed case from a former assistant has been revived for trial.

“The Motion for Reconsideration filed by ASHLEY WALTERS on 01/07/2026 is Granted,” ordered LA Superior Court Judge Steve Cochran after a downtown hearing Monday morning that will allow a re-filing. “Statute revives the claim. The Court orders the dismissal ordered on 12/16/2025 as to the entire action set aside and vacated. The Court vacates its previous order granting the summary judgment.”

Today’s revival of Walters’ case, which was first filed in 2021 and seemingly killed for the final time just over a month ago, is due to a new California law that gives sexual assault allegations more time to go to the courts. Signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom last year and taking effect just over three weeks ago, Assembly Bill 250 extends by two years for individuals over 18-years-old the “eligibility period for revival of claims …that would otherwise be barred prior to January 1, 2026, because the applicable statute of limitations has or had expired.”

As Manson has with all the claims against him from ex-fiancee’ and Westworld actress Evan Rachel Wood, Game of Thrones‘ Esmé Bianco’s now settled rape allegations and others, the ‘Beautiful People’ singer has always denied Walters’  sexual harassment, abuse, sexual battery, intentional infliction of emotional distress and wrongful termination accusations.

Evan Rachel Wood in Channel 4’s Marilyn Manson: Unmasked documentary from 2025

Channel 4

First DOA in May 2022 due to “too few facts,” Walters’ claims were brought back to life under appeal and then deep-sixed again by Judge Cochran on December 16 last year. “We have a situation where the complaint was not filed until about 10 years after the operative events,” he said of the initial 2021 accusations based on Walters’ apparently Hellish 2010-2011 stint working for the now 57-year-old Brian Warner a.k.a. Manson. At the time, late last year, Cochran added: “I don’t have the authority to rule that the delayed discovery doctrine would apply under the circumstances that exist in this case.”

That all changed Monday with the new law on the Golden State’s books and Walters’ reconsideration move.

“We are thrilled for Ms. Walters” exclaimed attorney Bina Ahmad to Deadline today after the hearing was over. “She has never given up fighting for justice.”

Emphasizing that Walters’ longtime Hadsell Stormer Renick & Dai lawyers ” look forward to continuing the fight for Ms. Walters until Mr. Warner finally answers for his abuse,” Ahmad noted: “She has had to overcome a lot of obstacles, as so many survivors are forced to do. Mr. Warner has tried time and again to avoid accountability for his abuse against Ms. Walters. But now, thanks to AB 250, abusers like Mr. Warner can no longer hide behind the statute of limitations.”

Judge Cochran has set a Case Management Conference for March 27, with a trial to follow unless there is a settlement.

Manson’s lawyer says he doubts it will get anywhere near that far.

“Ashley Walters has been given the right to pursue a narrow claim of sexual assault under the newly enacted law, a claim that will not survive the next motion for summary judgement,” Howard King predicted to Deadline Monday.

“While Ms. Walters made several now-irrelevant claims about so-called workplace harassment, she has no pending claims for sexual assault as defined in the penal code, as would be required under the new law, nor is she permitted under the ruling to add new claims,” the King, Holmes, Paterno & Soriano, LLP partner continued. “The undeniable fact is that Mr. Warner never committed any sexual assault which undoubtedly is the reason the District Attorney declined Ms. Walter’s request that Mr. Warner be criminally charged.”

Manson was quickly dropped by CAA and cut from TV shows and his record label back in 2021 as allegations against the often openly sexually aggressive and denigrating (to put it politely, read his 1999 autobiography ) ‘Eat Me, Drink Me’ performer emerged. However, as various case and claims have been tossed, countersued, resolved or kicked to the curb by various DAs, Manson’s career and placement among the guitar crowd has gotten somewhat back on track, at least as far as rock is back in a hip hop and country dominated industry. Following a solo tour in the US and Europe this spring, Manson has a Live Nation promoted tour with Rob Zombie kicking off August 20 in the Trumpland of West Palm Beach, Florida.