In 2019, embattled anime voice actor Vic Mignogna, accused of sexual harassment by a number of events, filed a defamation lawsuit in opposition to former employer Funimation and several other different voice actors. The courtroom dominated in opposition to him in October of that yr, prompting him to file an enchantment. Yesterday, he not solely misplaced his enchantment on all counts, however could also be required to pay extra authorized charges to the defendants of his swimsuit.
The Court docket of Appeals within the Second Appellate District of Texas discovered that Mignogna didn’t present sufficient proof to show that among the statements made in opposition to him have been false or that any have been made with malice. Based on the courtroom’s resolution, Mignogna is not going to solely be chargeable for paying off charges associated to his enchantment, however will possible must pay extra legal professional’s charges to fellow voice actor Monica Rial and her fiance Ronald Toye. The courtroom despatched Mignogna’s lawsuit again to the decrease courtroom to provide you with the next, extra acceptable legal professional’s price for him to pay, partly as a result of the price of Rial and Toye’s authorized illustration exceeded the ~$125,000 the prior courtroom resolution had beforehand awarded the pair.
Learn Extra: One in every of Anime’s Largest Voices Accused of Sexual Harassment
Along with voicing Edward Elric in Fullmetal Alchemist, Mignogna was a well known voice actor behind the English dubbing of Broly in Dragon Ball Z and Junpei in Persona 3. When Dragon Ball Tremendous: Broly was making the rounds in its U.S. theatrical launch again in 2019, tales started to flow into from a number of followers who’d met Mignogna over time regarding sexual harassment and different innappropriate interactions.
Fellow voice actors chimed in with their very own tales. In a Twitter post, DBZ voice actor Monica Rial corroborated accusations from other voice actors in opposition to Mignogna which detailed comparable, inappropriate interactions with him.
Mignogna denied the claims made in opposition to him in a long Twitter post in January 2019 earlier than submitting a defamation swimsuit in opposition to Funimation, Rial, Toye, and voice actress Jamie Marchi in April. Later that yr, Texas state district Choose John Chupp dismissed Mignogna’s 17 defamation claims, prompting Mignogna to file his enchantment just a few weeks later. He’s now misplaced the enchantment as effectively, and the courtroom could improve the quantity he should pay to Rial and Toye.
When information broke of the accusations in opposition to Mignogna, comedian conventions, Funimation, and Rooster Enamel all lower ties with the voice actor. Mignogna was additionally changed as Broly’s—a personality he’d voiced for 16 years—voice actor in Dragon Ball FighterZ, with Bleach voice actor Johnny Yong Bosch getting into the function. For a full breakdown of Mignogna’s lawsuit, you’ll be able to learn the r/AnimeDubs subreddit thread.
