One of the most prominent news pieces of the last year for those in the anime fandom has been the largely public legal battle between voice actor Vic Mignogna and former employer Funimation, and former colleagues Monica Rial and Jamie Marchi, and Rial’s fiance Ron Toye. Mignogna had filed a defamation suit against Funimation and former colleagues for speaking out on harassment claims and other controversies surrounding Mignogna, and Texas State District Judge John P. Chupp dismissed all the remaining claims in the defamation lawsuit Mignogna filed last April in a final ruling last month.
Texas State District Judge John P. Chupp revealed his final judgment on the matter earlier this week, and ruled that Mignogna must pay $223,042.42 USD in attorney’s fees to the defendants. He’s also been ordered to pay $15,000 USD in sanctions, for a total amount of $238,042.42 USD. Chupp also ruled that Mignogna will have to pay an additional $587,500 USD in contingent fees should he choose to appeal.
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As Anime News Network reports, Funimation had filed a motion earlier this November for attorneys’ fees, costs, and sanctions for the lawsuit with Rial, Toye, and Marchi filing similar motions on the same day. Funimation, Rial, Toye, and Marchi’s requested attorneys’ fees and costs (without accounting for contingent fees) totaled $507,879.55 USD, with the total sanctions the defendants requested accounting for at least an additional US$175,000.
Chupp had previously dismissed the 17 claims Mignogna had against Funimation and his former colleagues across two hearings, and this battle between Mignogna and the voice acting community goes far beyond the courtroom. News of allegations and lawsuits earlier this year resulted in hashtags and social media wars in support for and against Mignogna. Funimation responded to the lawsuit with 14 defenses against Mignogna’s claims, and have not made any significant public comment on the matter beyond their statement on their cutting ties with the actor initially:
“Everyone, we wanted to give you an update on the Vic Mignogna situation. Following an investigation, Funimation recast Vic Mignogna in Morose Mononokean Season 2. Funimation will not be engaging Mignogna in future productions. Part of our core mission is to celebrate the diversity of the anime community and to share our love for this genre and its positive impact on all. We do not condone any kind of harassment or threatening behavior being directed at anyone.”
via ANN
