Entertainment Weekly (via Toonado.com) has confirmed that Justin Roiland, the main star and co-creator of Adult Swim's hit animated series Rick and Morty, is facing felony domestic violence charges after a 2020 incident in Orange County, California.
The criminal complaint was originally filed way back in May 2020, and the 42-year-old was 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. The alleged victim's identity has not been made public, though the "Jane Doe" was reportedly dating Roiland at the time.
Roiland, who lends his voice to Rick Sanchez and Morty Smith (among other characters) in Rick and Morty, pleaded not guilty back in October 2020 and appeared in court yesterday for a pretrial hearing, hence why this news has only just started doing the rounds online.
The filmmaker and actor's attorney has issued a statement on his client's behalf that states, "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."
It's important to point out that Roiland has not been convicted of any crimes and no trial date has been set. Rick and Morty season 6 wrapped up in December 2022, and while season 7 is on the way - as part of a long-term 70-episode deal made back in 2018 - there's currently no word on how this ongoing case could impact the beloved sci-fi series.
The Emmy-winner also stars in Hulu's Solar Opposites and also recently lent his voice to hit video game High on Life, while many of Rick and Morty's writers have gone on to find great success in the MCU.
We don't expect to hear any more details for a while (the next pretrial is set for April), but we'll be sure to keep you updated as this story progresses in the coming months.