In 2019, Vic Mignogna, a voice actor whose credits include Dragon Ball Z, RWBY, and Fullmetal Alchemist, was accused of sexual harassment by multiple parties said to stretch back multiple years.
Later that same year, Mignogna would later sue his employer Funimation (who, like Rooster Teeth, fired him following an internal investigation), along with fellow voice actors Monica Rial and Jamie Marchi, along with Rial’s partner, Ron Toye. That suit, which was filed in Texas, was dismissed, and Mignogna was forced to appeal months later. And now Mignogna has not only lost that appeal, he may also have to pay extra legal fees to the defendants.
Texas’ 2nd Court of Appeals found that the voice actor didn’t have enough evidence to prove that the allegations against him were false, or made with any malice. He’s now been ordered to pay $US250,000 ($347,050) in attorney fees to Funimation, Rial, Marchi, and Toye, though that number may end up being even higher. The courts are currently reevaluating what he’ll owe.
“We affirm the trial court’s judgment except for the attorney’s-fee amount awarded to Cross Appellants Monica Rial and Ronald Toye,” ruled Justice Mike Wallach. “We remand this attorney’s-fee issue to the trial court for a redetermination.”
On Twitter, Rial thanked everyone for the support given to her, Marchi, and Toye over the years. “I have been a part of the anime community for 23 years and I love it. Here’s to moving forward, healing, and celebrating anime!”
Throughout Mignogna’s legal troubles, the voice actor has maintained his innocence, even as multiple voice actors beyond Rial and Marchi have spoken out against him. Even so, he hasn’t disappeared from the spotlight like several other men in his position, as he was recently at Houston’s Anime Matsuri in late July.
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