Los Angeles County Judge Steve Cochran ruled on Monday (December 16) that Marilyn Manson can’t avoid sitting for a deposition in the sexual assault and battery lawsuit brought by his former personal assistant, Ashley Walters. The judge ruled that Manson, real name Brian Warner, can still assert his Fifth Amendment rights against self-incrimination and refuse to answer questions during the sit-down, but he’s not entitled to a special order blocking the deposition. “There is no authority for a protective order blanket, for an indefinite period of time,” Judge Cochran said Monday. “There’s no such thing as a blanket assertion that would prevent a question-by-question approach.” Walters’ lawyer Kate McFarlane said Warner “has a right to use the Fifth Amendment” but said it isn’t “designed to prevent and delay victims from getting justice. That’s how he’s trying to use it here – to prevent his particularly heinous behavior from seeing the light.” (Rolling Stone)
