‘Rick and Morty’ co-creator faces trial on domestic violence charges

Justin Roiland, co-creator and voice actor of the popular animated comedy series Rick and Morty, is reportedly facing charges allegedly levelled against him for a domestic violence incident that occurred in 2020, as per Variety.

Roiland was charged in Orange County, California, with one count of domestic battery and false imprisonment by menace, violence, fraud, and/or deceit. The publication stated that the 42-year-old voice actor pleaded not guilty in 2020 and is awaiting a trial now. On Thursday, 13 January, he appeared in court for a pre-trial hearing. The second pre-trial hearing is scheduled for 27 April. However, the date for the actual trial has not been determined yet.

As per a complaint obtained by Variety, the alleged incident took place on or around 19 January 2020 against an unnamed woman who was dating Roiland at the time. According to the court documents, Roiland was free on a bond of $50,000. His advocate, T Edward Welbourn, told the publication in a statement that it’s “hard to overstate how inaccurate the recent media coverage of this situation has been.”

Speaking in Roiland’s favour, he added, "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.”

Besides co-creating Rick and Morty, Roiland also voices the titular characters of the show, Rick Sanchez and Morty Smith. The well-liked series was renewed for 70 additional episodes during its third season in 2018. He has also voiced characters on Hulu’s Solar Opposites, Adventure Time, Gravity Falls, and Fish Hooks, among many others.