According to a criminal complaint filed in May 2020 by the Orange County District Attorney, Justin Roiland, the creator of the animated comedy series Rick and Morty, has been charged with felony domestic violence in Orange County, California. He appeared in court Thursday for a pre-trial hearing.
In 2020, Roiland pleaded not guilty. Roiland and his attorneys didn't respond to requests for comment.
NBC News obtained a criminal complaint in the case, charging Roiland, 42, with one felony count of domestic battery with corporal injury and one felony count of false imprisonment by menace, violence, fraud and or deceit. NBC News is the first to report publicly on the case.
The complaint states that the incident occurred on or about January 19, 2020, against an anonymous Jane Doe dating Roiland at the time.
According to Orange County Superior Court records, Roiland pleaded not guilty to both charges in October 2020. The case has been the subject of more than a dozen court hearings, including pre-trial hearings. Many court records remained sealed, but the available public documents seen by NBC News say Roiland was charged in May 2020. Roiland was arrested and released on a $50,000 bond in August 2020 and arraigned in October 2020.
A protective order filed in October 2020 and documented in the court minutes said Roiland is not allowed to harass, threaten or surveil the person named in the protective order, who is not known to NBC News. Roiland can't go within 100 feet of the person, according to the order, which also ordered Roiland to turn in any firearms he owned or possessed. The order lasts until October 2023, and it is not known who submitted the request for the order.
Details of the case, including police body camera footage, police reports, abuse investigation reports, medical reports, and recordings of interviews, are currently being withheld from the public under a protective order. The affidavit in support of Roiland's arrest is also sealed.
During Thursday's hearing, Roiland s attorney confirmed there is a plea offer available to Roiland, but did not discuss details. The brief hearing concluded a few moments later with an agreement to convene again on April 27. Roiland was ordered to attend the hearing.
Roiland is best known for Adult Swim's Rick and Morty, which has spawned a billion-dollar media and merchandising franchise and is one of the most popular adult television comedies. The show's sixth season aired in September 2022, and a seventh season was ordered by Cartoon Network as part of a long-term deal for 70 new episodes. Roiland voices the two titular characters in addition to co-creating the series with Dan Harmon.
Adult Swim, whose parent company is Warner Bros. Discovery also owns Cartoon Network, but hasn't said anything.
Roiland has progressed over the past three years as the domestic violence case has inched along. In 2021 he released an NFT art collection with more than a dozen works, which sold for over $1.65 million. He released another NFT project in 2022. Roiland sold his first painting in 2021 via Sotheby's auction.
Roiland also co-created and voiced a main character in Hulu's Solar Opposites, which debuted in 2020 and was renewed for a fifth season in October 2022. He was most recently behind Hulu's Koala Man series, the first episode of which was released this month.
In 2022, Roiland released the video game High on Life, which he developed through his studio Squanch Games. It became the top-selling game on Steam and the fourth most-played Xbox game the week of its release. Roiland won an Emmy for Rick and Morty in 2020 and a Hollywood Critics Choice Association TV award for the show in 2022.