Marilyn Manson to plead no contest in spitting and nose-blowing assault case

Marilyn Manson will plead no contest in a case involving him allegedly spitting and blowing his nose on a videographer in 2019.

Manson – whose real name is Brian Warner – was accused by videographer Susan Fountain of spitting a “big loogie” and blowing his nose on her while she was filming his concert in Gilford, New Hampshire, on August 19th, 2019.

The rocker was charged with two misdemeanour counts of simple assault to the incident. The plea will allow him to avoid a trial that was set to begin next month.

As reported by the Associated Press, had the singer gone to trial and had been convicted, he would have faced prison time and a $2000 (£1554) fine for each charge.

If the judge accepts Manson’s plea, which is expected to be entered Thursday in Belknap County Superior Court, he would have to pay a $1200 (£933) fine and serve 20 hours of community service for the nose-blowing offense while the charge involving the spitting incident would be dropped.

Manson has recently faced various lawsuits and allegations made by over a dozen women accusing him of both sexual and physical abuse. Following the accusations, the singer-songwriter was dropped by his label, Loma Vista.

Among the accusations was Westworld actor Evan Rachel Wood, who accused Manson of grooming, manipulation and “horrific abuse” back in 2022.

In March of that year, Manson filed a defamation lawsuit against Wood. Last week (May 10), however, a US Judge dismissed key sections of the musician’s case. These included claims that Wood pressured “multiple women to make false accusations” against him, and fabricated an FBI letter to back up her allegations (via Los Angeles Times).

Another one of the accusations came from Game Of Thrones actor Esme Bianco, who alleged their relationship included drugs, constant monitoring, physical abuse, and sexual assault. This lawsuit was later settled in January of this year.

Currently, the ‘Dope Show’ singer is facing two other lawsuits, both by Jane Does. He has consistently denied all allegations.