Game of Thrones actor Esmé Bianco sued Marilyn Manson on Friday (April 30), alleging sexual, physical and emotional abuse.

Manson’s attorney called the allegations “provably false.”

In the lawsuit filed in federal court in Los Angeles, Bianco says that Manson violated human trafficking law by bringing her to California from England under the false pretenses of roles in music videos and movies that never materialized.

The lawsuit alleges that in 2009, Manson, whose legal name is Brian Warner, flew Bianco to Los Angeles to shoot a video for the song “I Want to Kill You Like They Do in the Movies.”

The suit says that Bianco was expected to stay at Manson’s home instead of the hotel where she had been booked, and there was no crew, only Manson himself shooting with a phone.

Manson deprived Bianco of food and sleep though gave her alcohol and drugs, locked her in a bedroom, whipped her, gave her electric shocks, tried to force her to have sex with another woman and threatened to enter her room and rape her during the night, the suit alleges. No video was ever released.

Manson’s attorney Howard E. King responded: “These claims are provably false. To be clear, this suit was only filed after my client refused to be shaken down by Ms. Bianco and her lawyer and give in to their outrageous financial demands based on conduct that simply never occurred. We will vigorously contest these allegations in court and are confident that we will prevail.”

Manson and Bianco began a long-distance relationship later in 2009, the suit says.

Manson again brought Bianco to Los Angeles in 2011, ostensibly to appear in his feature film Phantasmagoria, though that project also never materialized.

During that visit, Manson would not allow Bianco to leave home without his permission, chased her around their apartment with an ax, cut her with a “Nazi knife” without her consent and photographed the cuts and posted the pictures online, also without her consent, the lawsuit alleges.

“It took Ms. Bianco years to understand the extent of Mr. Warner’s physical, sexual, psychological, and emotional abuse. Her career suffered due to the deterioration of her mental health,” the suit says. “She deals with complex Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, anxiety, depression, and panic attacks to this day as a result.”

The Associated Press generally does not identify people who say they have been sexually assaulted, but Bianco said in a statement that she is coming forward publicly to air her allegations with hopes that others will do the same.

The lawsuit said that at the time, Bianco feared for her safety if she didn’t comply with Manson’s demands, and did not go to authorities. But her attorney Jay D. Ellwanger said she has now come forward and spoken to the FBI and local law enforcement.

Bianco first aired many of the allegations in February. She was one of several women who spoke out after actor Evan Rachel Wood said on social media that Manson sexually, physically and emotionally abused her during their relationship. Manson’s record label and agents dropped him at the time.

In response to the allegations in February, Manson wrote on Instagram that they were “horrible distortions of reality. My intimate relationships have always been entirely consensual with like-minded partners. Regardless of how — and why — others are now choosing to misrepresent the past, that is the truth.”

Los Angeles County sheriff’s detectives also said in February that they were investigating domestic violence allegations against Manson dating from 2009 to 2011 in West Hollywood. They did not identify the woman who made the report.

Bianco played Ros in the first three seasons of HBO’s Game of Thrones.

Stories about sexual assault allegations can be traumatizing for survivors of sexual assault. If you or anyone you know needs support, you can reach out to the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN). The organization provides free, confidential support to sexual assault victims. Call RAINN’s National Sexual Assault Hotline (800.656.HOPE) or visit the anti-sexual violence organization’s website for more information.

First and foremost, let’s recognize that the elimination of the fabled Nominations Review Committees is indeed the “bombshell” news of the day, as Billboard awards editor Paul Grein reported Friday (April 30). To reiterate what this means, the nominees for most of the Grammy categories will no longer be determined by small, secret committees of voting members, but by the entire voting body of the Academy at large.

The new rule includes all the Latin categories, where nominees were determined by a small committee of Academy members who met behind closed doors, listened to the music submitted and decided, as a committee, who got a Grammy nomination.

For more than a decade, the Latin category nominations were decided by committee, and the decisions went from utterly baffling to utterly predictable, with very commercial releases from major stars often competing in the same category with almost complete unknowns.

The notion of a Latin committee was born precisely from the desire to showcase material that was exquisite but perhaps not commercial, and to avoid a default win for big crossover names. But as Latin music has become increasingly mainstream in the United States — and let’s remember that the Grammys honor U.S. releases — the need for a small committee to determine the fate of the music is less urgent.

What remains to be seen is how this empowered voting body will act with Latin releases. Will they take the easy way out, voting primarily for those names they recognize?

Our hope is that those who end up voting in the Latin categories are those who work within the genre and know its players. The reduction in the number of categories that can be voted on — from 15 to 10 — is a step in ensuring that votes are more specialized than they have been in the past.

Also pressing: Will the Latin Grammys follow suit and eliminate the committees?

Not for now. In a statement provided to Billboard, the Latin Academy said it “did not anticipate” doing so. “While the awards process for the Latin Grammys mirrors the essence of the Grammy process, the Latin Recording Academy’s members have the ability to modify procedures respective to the needs and evolution of Latin music,” read the statement. “Since we are mainly an international organization, our systems and procedures have some differences.

“Given the richness of Latin music and its diverse fields, we depend on the expertise of our members in order to best respect and honor excellence in the different genres that compose our culture,” the statement concludes.

Far less ambiguous for the Latin world is the addition of a new Música Urbana Album category to the Grammys. To this, we wholeheartedly say: “Thank you.”

Urban Latin music, or “Música Urbana,” as the Academy calls it, has dominated the Billboard charts and the global streaming charts for at least the past five years. Reggaetón and its offspring have contributed to the globalization of Latin music to a degree that was unimaginable a decade ago.

And yet, Latin music’s most popular genre did not have its own Grammy category. Instead, since 2014, it was bunched together with pop and rock to create the horrendous Best Latin Pop, Rock or Urban Album category.

Then that changed to Best Latin Rock, Urban or Alternative album. Still problematic. This year, the category was again split, this time as Best Latin Pop or Urban Album, while Alternative and Rock were placed together.

The Academy seemed to be allergic to Latin urban music, Bad Bunny’s success notwithstanding.

But now, light.

The addition of a standalone urban category is, more than a triumph, a recognition of Latin music’s current importance in both the U.S. and global markets. The fact that the Academy added a category versus merely substituting one, highlights that it recognizes the music’s growth.

Thank you for listening.

Angie Stone, Ginuwine, Marvin Sapp and Ramsey Lewis will be honored at the 2021 Black Music Honors. The two-hour show will be taped at the City Winery in Nashville and televised in national syndication from June 5 to July 4. It will air on Bounce TV on Saturday, June 19 at 1 p.m. ET. (That date, not coincidentally, is Juneteenth, which celebrates the end of slavery in the U.S.)

All four of the artists being honored have been Black music stars for years, but among them, only Lewis has won a Grammy. (The R&B and jazz virtuoso has won three Grammys.) This demonstrates the need for a show like this to shine a light on stars who aren’t always given their due at other award shows.

Stone will receive the soul music icon award; Ginuwine, the urban music icon award; Sapp, the gospel music icon award; and Lewis, the legends award. The National Museum of African American Music in Nashville will be honored with the Legacy Award. The museum, established in 2019, showcases the musical genres inspired, created or influenced by African Americans.

Chicago-based television production company Central City Productions will present the show. This year marks the first time that the program, now in its sixth year, will air in June.

Don Jackson, the show’s founder and executive producer, said in a statement: “In addition to the amazing honorees and exciting performances this year, we are also announcing that the Black Music Honors will now be held in the month of June. This is an important time for our community as it is officially Black Music Month and our national holiday, Juneteenth. What better way to honor our legacy.”

Talk show host, comedienne and author Loni Love will host the special. Love won a 2018 daytime Emmy for outstanding entertainment talk show host as one of the co-hosts of The Real. “Now, more than ever, I think it is important to recognize the contributions that Black music has made to the country and the world,” Love said in a statement.

For more information visit BlackMusicHonors.com.