Back in January, Rick & Morty co-creator Justin Roiland was fired from that Adult Swim show, along with Solar Opposites and Koala Man, after it was revealed he was facing charges of domestic violence. Two months later, the court case against Roiland has been dismissed, and the voice actor has now spoken out about this decision and working to restore his “good name.”
Justin Roiland had been formally charged with one felony count of domestic battery with corporal injury and one felony count of false imprisonment by menace, violence, fraud, and/or deceit, but the criminal case against him was dismissed in Orange County on Wednesday morning due to there being “insufficient evidence to prove beyond reasonable doubt,” as a spokesperson for the District Attorney told TMZ. Following this news coming out, Roiland shared the following statement on his Twitter account:
I have always known that these claims were false — And I never had any doubt that this day would come. I’m thankful that this case has been dismissed but, at the same time, I’m still deeply shaken by the horrible lies that were reported about me during this process. Most of all, I’m disappointed that so many people were so quick to judge without knowing the facts, based solely on the word of an embittered ex trying to bypass due process and have me “canceled.” That it may have succeeded, even partially, is shameful. However, now that the legal case has ended, I’m determined to move forward and focus both on my creative projects and restoring my good name.
In his own statement, T. Edward Welbourn, Justin Roiland’s attorney, commended the Orange County District Attorney’s Office “for conducting a thorough review of the facts and deciding to dismiss the case against Justin. I’m thankful justice has prevailed.” The dismissed charges originated from a complaint filed in May 2020 by a woman identified only as Jane Doe. The specifics of what led to Roiland being arrested still haven’t been disclosed to the public outside of the incident happening around January 19, 2020, but the actor was ultimately arrested, then released on a $50,000 bond in August of the same year, and by the following October, he pleaded not guilty to those charges in an arraignment. A protective order was also filed against Roiland that expires this coming October.
Although this court case is no longe a concern for Justin Roiland, there were others who came forward with allegations of sexual abuse directed at him. The Rick & Morty writing team largely kept quiet during Roiland’s legal saga, with Heather Anne Campbell saying that she couldn’t tweet about his firing, but would when she could. With Roiland no longer associated with Rick & Morty, it has yet to be announced who will take over for him voicing the title protagonists and many other characters, although I’d like to think impersonator Sean Kelly stands a good chance at being selected.
We here at CinemaBlend will keep you apprised of any other major updates concerning Justin Roiland following this court case being dismissed. In the meantime though, use our 2023 TV schedule to plan what small screen entertainment you’ll be watching in the near future.
