Domestic violence charges on 'Rick and Morty' creator dropped over lack of evidence

California prosecutors on Wednesday, March 22, dismissed domestic violence charges filed against "Rick and Morty" co-creator Justin Roiland by a former girlfriend over lack of evidence.

"We dismissed the charges today as a result of having insufficient evidence to prove the case beyond a reasonable doubt," Kimberly Edds, spokeswoman for the Orange County District Attorney's office, said in a statement on Wednesday according to Variety.

Roiland was charged with one felony count of domestic battery with corporal injury and one felony count of false imprisonment by menace, violence, fraud, and/or deceit. The ex-girlfriend, whose name was not mentioned in court documents, filed the charges in May 2020 to which the showrunner pleaded not guilty. He appeared in court in January this year for a pre-trial hearing and a second pre-trial hearing was initially scheduled for April 27.

Edward Welbourn, Roiland's lawyer, shared his gratitude at the swift action by the Orange County District attorney's office in "conducting a thorough review of the facts and deciding to dismiss the case." He said he is "thankful justice has prevailed."

The attorney also vouched for his client's innocence in January saying, "It is hard to overstate how inaccurate the recent media coverage of this situation has been. To be clear, not only is Justin innocent but we also have every expectation that this matter is on course to be dismissed once the District Attorney's office has completed its methodical review of the evidence. We look forward to clearing Justin's name and helping him move forward as swiftly as possible."

The 43-year-old animator, who also voices the titular characters in "Rick and Morty," also shared his gratitude and relief that the charges were dismissed in a post on Twitter. He said that he has "always known that these claims were false" and "never had any doubt that this day would come."

He also shared his disappointment that many people jumped to the conclusion right away without knowing the facts first. He wrote, "I'm thankful that this case has been dismissed but, at the same time, I'm still deeply shaken by the horrible lies that were reported about me during this process. Most of all, I'm disappointed that so many people were so quick to judge without knowing the facts, based solely on the word of an embittered ex trying to bypass due process and have me 'canceled.'"

Roiland added, "That it may have succeeded, even partially, is shameful. However, now that the legal case has ended, I'm determined to move forward and focus both on my creative projects and restoring my good name."

Despite the dismissal, the allegations already did their damage to Roiland's career. Adult Swim cut ties with him at the end of January and in a brief statement said, "Adult Swim has ended its association with Justin Roiland."

Roiland ultimately also resigned from Squanch Games, the video game developer banner that he co-founded in 2016. He co-created "Rick and Morty" with Dan Harmon. The animated series wrapped up its Season 6 in December 2022 on Cartoon Network with more episodes coming following a season 7 renewal.

"Adult Swim has ended its association with Justin Roiland. Rick and Morty will continue. The talented and dedicated crew are hard at work on Season 7," the network announced on Instagram.

Hulu followed suit and also severed ties with Roiland for "Solar Opposites," which was renewed for Season 5 back in October, and in "Koala Man," which he executive produced and also had a voice role in. The network said in a statement, "We have ended our association with Justin Roiland." But both networks have yet to publicly comment on news about the domestic violence charges against the creator being dropped.