Vic Mignogna lawsuit

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Vic case DISMISSED






Anime voice actor Vic Mignogna loses big as judge drops final claims that Dallas-area studio and colleagues defamed him

Anime voice actor Vic Mignogna loses big as judge drops final claims that Dallas-area studio and colleagues defamed him


Tarrant County judge's action came after mediation efforts this week failed to get a resolution in clash that began with allegations of star's inappropriate behavior.

Jamie Marchi, left, and Monica Rial outside the Tarrant County courtroom Sept. 6 where Judge John Chupp made the first of his rulings in their defamation case brought against them.(Lawrence Jenkins / Special Contributor)
By Sharon Grigsby
9:55 AM on Oct 4, 2019


In a pivotal #MeToo moment for the multimillion-dollar anime industry, Grapevine-based voice actor Vic Mignogna — long hounded by allegations of inappropriate behavior toward women — lost big in court Friday.

State District Judge John Chupp dismissed the remaining claims in the defamation lawsuit that “Dragon Ball” star Mignogna filed in April against his former employer, two of his Dallas-area colleagues and the fiancé of one of the women.

Chupp’s action came after mediation efforts this week failed to get a resolution.

Friday’s decision left Mignogna 0 for 17 in his legal battle, as Chupp already had dismissed 12 of the claims, which included defamation, tortious interference and conspiracy during an early September hearing.

The latest order in the case is unlikely to tamp down the nasty firefight that has raged on social media between the #kickvic and #IStandWithVic camps. The split in the anime community over who are the villains and who are the victims has only sharpened with each development in the case.

This sorry mess started in January, as Mignogna’s most recent film, Dragon Ball Super: Broly, soared to box office records. Its release also set off another round of allegations on social media about the 57-year-old actor's aggressive kisses, hugs and unwanted sexual advances.
Actor Vic Mignogna attended the 20th Annual Webby Awards in New York City in May 2016.(Mark Sagliocco / Getty Images)
Mignogna repeatedly has denied all allegations of inappropriate actions, although he acknowledged in a June 26 deposition that people have commented negatively for years about his behavior.

As a columnist who writes regularly about these issues, I became interested in this case because of the voice actor’s decision to go on the offensive — digging in and fighting back against what he and his devoted fans have labeled lies, exaggerations and ploys for attention.

The first batch of dismissals came Sept. 6 as Mignogna’s astonishingly disorganized — and at times ill-prepared and illogical — legal team tried to make its case before Chupp.  Eleven days after that hearing, the judge summoned attorneys for both sides to his Tarrant County chambers and
ordered mediation.

Before dismissing the lawyers that day, Chupp handed out copies of threats of violence that were emailed and circulated on social media against him and others since the Sept. 6 hearing.

According to the transcript from the Sept. 17 meeting, Chupp noted that he wanted to make sure both sides were aware of potential danger and said, “This is real life stuff. This isn’t an animé cartoon or something like that. And I don’t know if people can distinguish between the two.”

He told the lawyers, “Y’all may owe a duty to this community, since y’all’s clients are a part of it, to try to get this case worked out.”
For the sake of anime fans and those inside the industry, Chupp said, he hoped that mediation would prove successful.

“Before I rule on the rest of it,” Chupp told the lawyers, “I’d rather you try to get this worked out. I think y’all have the opportunity to heal the community by doing something that y’all can all agree on, as opposed to having me do something, and then y’all having to appeal it ... this could go on years.”

The lawyers agreed to try, and that mediation session took place Wednesday. After those efforts produced no resolution, Chupp made his Friday ruling.

Since I first wrote about this case in early August, Mignogna’s Tyler-based attorney, Ty Beard, has never responded to my multiple emails and phone calls seeking comment.
Jamie Marchi, left, and Monica Rial are the two voice actors whom Vic Mignogna filed a April lawsuit against. On Friday, Judge John Chupp dismissed the remaining claims against Rial; he had previously dismissed claims against Marchi.(Lawrence Jenkins / Special Contributor)

The voice actor’s legal fight is apparently backed by a GoFundMe warchest, which has reached almost $250,000 since Minnesota lawyer Nick Rekieta opened it in February.

But even that large a sum may not cover all the costs. Next up for the court is to sort out attorney’s fees — which could total up to half a million dollars given the multiple defendants and their legal representation — and mandatory sanctions.

Mignogna has provided the English-language voice for hundreds of animated shows, films and games created in Japan. He’s long been among the most popular actors at conventions across the nation that allow fans of the genre to meet their heroes.

His lawsuit named Funimation, voice actors Jamie Marchi and Monica Rial, and Rial's fiancé, Ron Toye. The lawsuit painted the company and three individuals as a band of conspirators leading the charge to ruin Mignogna’s career. In response, those accused have maintained that the legal action is aimed at unjustly silencing them

Marchi, Rial and Toye were among the scores of animé talent and fans who, beginning early this year, tweeted critically about the actor's behavior. Rial alleged that Mignogna grabbed her in a hotel room and forcibly kissed her without her consent at an anime convention in 2007. Marchi accused him of violently pulling her hair in a tense office encounter.

Funimation, a Flower Mound-based company owned by Sony Pictures Television that dubs and distributes animé, announced in February that it had severed ties with Mignogna. Funimation’s statement included few specifics about the voice actor but said, “We do not condone any kind of harassment or threatening behavior.”

At the Sept. 6 hearing, Chupp dismissed all claims against Marchi, all except defamation against Funimation and all except defamation and conspiracy against Rial and Toye.

His Friday order ended those remaining claims. Whether it ends the ugly social media warfare is far less likely.

The numbers

sigh

this is bad for 2020
it made the behavior legit

EDIT:
I went to twitter and guess what

it might not be over
Ty Beard on twitter

Ty Beard

@TyBeard10

Halftime.
11:01 AM · Oct 4, 2019·Twitter for iPad

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