Former Anime Star Vic Mignogna Denied Appeal in Defamation Suit

A new report from Texas has confirmed Vic Mignogna, a former voice actor on Dragon Ball, has lost their most recent legal battle. According to court documents, the actor wasn’t granted an appeal in a defamation case he filed against Funimation and several colleagues regarding allegations about Mignogna harassing others. The original case was dismissed, and the Texas Court of Appeals has chosen to uphold the original case’s verdict with a major addendum. 

According to the ruling, Mignogna’s appeal has been denied. The appeal court also determined the voice actor owed more money in attorney fees to Monica Rial and Ron Toye. The verdict suggested the initial amount ordered was less than necessary, so the district court involved in the original defamation suit must “redetermine” the awards owed to Rial and Toye.

For those who aren’t aware of the situation, the legal battle began well before 2020 as allegations surfaced about Mignogna online. Accounts of unwanted sexual advances and harassment were posted online by fans and industry pros alike including Dragon Ball’s own Rial. The public callout led Mignogna to file a defamation suit against specific accusers as well as Funimation following his removal from several projects. The legal suit was made by Mignogna to protect his reputation amid the scandal, but the defamation suit was eventually dismissed.

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After the dismissal, Mignogna was ordered to handle attorney fees for the defendants. These were compounded further by sanctions and contingency fees, leaving the voice actor on the hook for more than $500,000 USD. Now, that total will surely increase as the Court of Appeals has found the original ruling lacking. Once news of the appeal’s loss was made public, Mignogna took to social media to maintain his innocence. No further statements have been made about the legal battle since. 

What do you think about this latest legal update? Let us know in the comments section below. Share your thoughts with us in the comments section below or hit me up on Twitter @MeganPetersCB.

HT – ANN