Justin Roiland, the co-creator of Rick and Morty and Solar Opposites, is facing domestic violence charges in Orange County, California, based on an alleged 2020 incident.
According to the May 2020 felony complaint, which The Hollywood Reporter has obtained, Roiland has been charged with one count of domestic battery with corporal injury and one count of false imprisonment by menace, violence, fraud or deceit. The complaint alleges that Roiland “did wilfully and unlawfully inflict corporal injury resulting a traumatic condition” upon a Jane Doe “who was in a dating relationship with the defendant.” The complaint further alleges that Roiland “did unlawfully violate the personal liberty of Jane Doe by violence, menace, fraud and deceit.” NBC News was the first to report the news.
Roiland pleaded not guilty in 2020, according to the court docket, and was released on a $50,000 bond in August of that year. Hearings in the case have continued since, with the latest occurring on Thursday.
In a statement, Roiland’s attorney T. Edward Welbourn said, “It is hard to overstate how inaccurate the recent media coverage of this situation has been. To be clear, not only is Justin innocent but we also have every expectation that this matter is on course to be dismissed once the district attorney’s office has completed its methodical review of the evidence. We look forward to clearing Justin’s name and helping him move forward as swiftly as possible.”
When reached on Thursday, Adult Swim, which distributes Rick and Morty, had no comment. The Hollywood Reporter has additionally reached out to Hulu, which distributes Solar Opposites, for comment.
NBC News has reported that “a protective order filed in October 2020 and documented in the court minutes said Roiland is not to harass, threaten or surveil the person named in the protective order.” The news outlet also reported that during Thursday’s pre-trial hearing, Roiland’s attorney stated that the show creator had been presented with a plea offer; no other details of the plea offer were immediately available.
In addition to his work as a show creator, Roiland has voice acted in a long list of projects, with roles including playing main characters on his own Rick and Morty (as Rick Sanchez and Morty Smith) and Solar Opposites (as Korvo) and additional appearances on Mystery Science Theater 3000, Adventure Time and Robot Chicken, among other projects. He has also executive produced and acted on animated titles Koala Man and Rick and Morty spinoff The Vindicators.
In 2016, Roiland co-founded the video game studio Squanchtendo (now Squanch Games), which has produced Accounting+, Trover Saves the Universe and High on Life.
