{"id":56349,"date":"2026-01-23T13:46:34","date_gmt":"2026-01-23T13:46:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/musicianvoice.com\/index.php\/2026\/01\/23\/the-change-in-california-law-that-ensnared-two-rockers-again\/"},"modified":"2026-01-23T13:46:34","modified_gmt":"2026-01-23T13:46:34","slug":"the-change-in-california-law-that-ensnared-two-rockers-again","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/musicianvoice.com\/index.php\/2026\/01\/23\/the-change-in-california-law-that-ensnared-two-rockers-again\/","title":{"rendered":"The Change in California Law That Ensnared Two Rockers Again"},"content":{"rendered":"


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Two rockers have seen former sexual assault complaints revived after a change in California law<\/a>. <\/p>\n

The new statute, dubbed the Justice for Survivors of Sexual Assault Act, opens a “two-year look-back window<\/a>” that allows past civil claims to be refiled. Gov. Gavin Newsom signed Assembly Bill 250<\/a> into law last October and changes took effect on Jan. 1. <\/p>\n

Now, Motley Crue<\/a> drummer Tommy Lee<\/a> and Marilyn Manson<\/a> could be facing more time in court. <\/p>\n

The Latest on Tommy Lee and Marilyn Manson’s Cases<\/h3>\n

Accuser Heather Taylor voluntarily withdrew<\/a> an earlier lawsuit accusing Lee of sexually assaulting her<\/a> decades earlier in a helicopter. Ex-assistant Ashley Walters said Manson had subjected her to extreme sexual and mental abuse<\/a> over a period going back to 2010. Walters’ suit was dismissed through a summary judgment<\/a> last December. <\/p>\n

Taylor refiled against Lee this week, and her 14-page complaint<\/a> specifically cites the new California law. “Ms. Taylor filed her complaint in compliance with California’s newly enacted ‘Justice for Survivors of Sexual Assault Act,'” Taylor’s lawyer Jeffrey Reeves told Billboard<\/a><\/em>. She “looks forward to holding Mr. Lee accountable for the unspeakable harm he has caused her.”<\/p>\n

Walters has submitted her own seven-page motion asking California judge Steve Cochran to vacate his earlier ruling \u2013 or allow Walters to amend the lawsuit in light of the new statute. Cochran said he had dismissed the case, in part, because her claims were too old to prosecute.<\/p>\n

What Are the Charges Against Tommy Lee and Marilyn Manson?<\/h3>\n

As in her original lawsuit, Taylor says she felt “trapped” thousands of feet in the air after the late helicopter pilot David Martz offered to take her on an early 2003 sightseeing trip. They’d met at the bank where Taylor worked as a teller. She said she found Lee already inside the aircraft. Taylor suit alleges that the two men did drugs while airborne before Lee sexually assaulted her<\/a>. <\/p>\n

Her case has taken years to resolve. “If anyone thought my prior dismissal was a retreat, they vastly miscalculated my stamina,” Taylor told Rolling Stone<\/a><\/em>. “I dismissed my own case to await this legislation. Now that I have the law in my favor, I’m seeking justice.”<\/p>\n

READ MORE:<\/strong> Top 50 Motley Crue Songs<\/a><\/p>\n

Manson, born Brian Warner, was accused of whipping Taylor, trying to kiss her, forcing her hand into his underwear, and throwing her against a wall<\/a> “during one of [his] drug-induced rages.” The allegations, “which we absolutely deny, would not rise to the level of type of sexual assault that is covered by AB 250,” Manson’s attorney Howard King told Rolling Stone<\/a><\/em>. He said charges like these could perhaps be described as creating a hostile workplace. <\/p>\n

Attorneys for Lee and Manson both celebrated the earlier court results. Lee’s lawyer said Taylor’s voluntary withdrawal equated to a “complete vindication” for his client, describing her allegations as “bogus and false.” “It’s gratifying, after all these years, that a judge can just look at the facts and see that once again, Brian Warner was wrongfully accused,” King said.<\/p>\n

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A classic-era photo of Tommy Lee, right, and Motley Crue. (Randy Bachman, Getty Images)<\/span><\/p>

A classic-era photo of Tommy Lee, right, and Motley Crue. (Randy Bachman, Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

Tommy Lee and Marilyn Manson’s Previous Allegations<\/h3>\n

These aren’t the first allegations of sexual misconducted levied against Lee and Manson. <\/p>\n

Lee went to jail for six months in 1998 after allegedly attacking then-wife Pamela Anderson<\/a>. In Motley Crue’s 2001\u00a0autobiography\u00a0The Dirt<\/em><\/a>, bassist Nikki Sixx<\/a> claimed that he and Lee “pretty much” raped a woman<\/a>. Lee has also faced complaints about nudity on stage<\/a>. <\/p>\n

READ MORE:<\/strong> Tommy Lee Says ‘Sheer F—ing Stupidity’ Helped Motley Crue Succeed<\/a><\/p>\n

Ashley Morgan Smithline sued Manson for sexual assault and unlawful imprisonment, saying he’d locked her in a solitary-confinement cell<\/a> in his home that he called the “Bad Girls’ Room.” Manson made out-of-court settlements<\/a> with two accusers, including Game of Thrones<\/a><\/em> actress Esme Bianco. He was also involved with a legal entanglement with former fiancee Evan Rachel Wood<\/a>. <\/p>\n

Motley Crue later released a 2023 song called “Canceled<\/a>” that acknowledged their escape from severe consequences despite years of misbehavior. “We snuck in under the whatever threshold, wherever that was, where we got away with f—ing murder,” Lee acknowledged at the time. <\/p>\n

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33 Rock Star Mug Shots<\/h2>\n
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Are you really a rock star if you haven’t been arrested?<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Gallery Credit: Nick DeRiso<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Listen to James Michael on the ‘UCR Podcast’<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n