Justin Roiland , co-creator of Rick and Morty , as well as the voice of the two protagonists.
It is in danger of ending up in prison for several years for heavy domestic violence charges.
Roiland was charged with two counts by the Orange County District Attorney’s Office: domestic battery with bodily harm and kidnapping through threats, assault, fraud and/or deception. The two leaders refer to an incident that should have occurred in January 2020. The victim is anonymous (and is in fact referred to as “Jane Doe”). The perpetrator faces up to seven years in prison.
Justin Roiland pleaded not guilty in October 2020. There is currently no trial date set, but the possibility of a plea deal is apparently on the table. A new hearing will be held on April 27.
T. Edward Welbourn , attorney for Roiland, said:
Just to clarify, not only is Justin innocent, but we also expect this lawsuit to be dismissed once the DA’s office completes its methodical review of the evidence. We look forward to clearing Justin’s name and helping him put this matter behind him as quickly as possible.
It is not the first time that the authors of Rick and Morty end up at the center of scandals. Years ago, Dan Harmon (also author of Community ) was in fact accused by Community screenwriter Megan Ganz of having pestered her and become vindictive after the co-creator of Mythic Quest had rejected her advances. Later, Harmon publicly apologized and Ganz forgave him in a tweet.