Vic Mignogna Files Suit Against Funimation, Marchi, Rial, Toye
Voice actor Vic Mignogna has filed a lawsuit against Funimation and voice actors Jamie Marchi, Monica Rial, and Rial’s fiancée Ronald Toye in the wake of their accusations that he committed several acts of assault and sexual assault.
Filed in the District Court of Tarrant County, Texas by attorney Ty Beard of the law firm Beard Harris Bullock Hughes, the suit accuses Funimation and the voice actors of Defamation, Tortious Interference with Existing Contracts, Tortious Interference with Prospective Business Relations, Civil Conspiracy, and Vicarious Liability.
The court documents spell out a case wherein Marchi, Rial, and Toye used social media to spread accusations that Mignogna had committed several acts of sexual assault and predatory behavior. They also used their platforms to encourage conventions to cancel their invitations for Mignogna to make appearances at events, causing substantial harm to Mignogna’s livelihood. Citing Rial’s retweet of posts by users “hanleia” and “Marzgurl” as the beginning of the activity, the suit claims that Rial, Toye, and Marchi all worked in concert to damage Mignogna’s reputation and ability to work in the anime industry.
Funimation is also being held responsible in the suit, as Marchi, Rial, and Toye were all working for the company at the time of the activity.
The court document includes screenshots of various posts from all four of the defendants, and demands copies of all communication regarding both Funimation and Sony’s alleged investigation into the initial accusations against Mignogna (including Funimation’s communication with Anime News Network), as well as all documents between the three.
Mignogna is seeking “monetary relief over $1,000,000” in addition to punitive damages to be determined at trial.
[Read the document here]
