Domestic Violence Charges Dropped Against ‘Rick And Morty’ Creator Justin Roiland

On Wednesday, the Orange County District Attorney’s Office in southern California dismissed domestic violence charges against Rick and Morty co-creator Justin Roiland.

Why was the case dropped? The district attorney’s office released a statement saying that, “We dismissed the charges today because there was insufficient evidence to prove the case beyond reasonable doubt.” The office’s spokesperson added that “significant additional information came to light,” without offering any specific details.

What is Justin Roiland saying? Roiland tweeted out a statement saying that he has “always known that these claims were false” and that he’s “thankful that his case has been dismissed.” His full statement is below:

justice pic.twitter.com/1q9M4GA6MV

— Justin Roiland (@JustinRoiland) March 22, 2023

What is Justin Roiland’s attorney saying? Roiland’s attorney T. Edward Welbourn released a statement to the media saying, “I commend the Orange County District Attorney’s Office for conducting a thorough review of the facts and deciding to dismiss the case against Justin. I’m thankful justice has prevailed.”

What happens next? Since news of Roiland’s arrest in 2020 became publicly known last January, both Warner Bros. and the Walt Disney Company terminated their relationship with him. Since then, colleagues on the shows with which he was involved have spoken about the difficulties of working with him. Additionally, numerous other people have spoken out on social media sharing snippets of personal exchanges with Roiland and alleging inappropriate behavior. While the most serious legal charges against Roiland have now been dropped, he faces an uphill battle in the court of public opinion about his past professional and personal behavior. In the meantime, Rick and Morty will continue production without Roiland’s involvement.