The Last of Us Star Ashley Johnson and Six Others Sue Brian W. Foster for Abuse

Actress Ashley Johnson and six other women, including two current employees of Critical Role, have sued Brian W. Foster for abuse in a civil case in Los Angeles. The suit, filed on Tuesday in the Superior Court of California, Los Angeles County, accuses Foster of domestic violence, intentional infliction of emotional distress, sexual battery and assault, and stalking. A copy of the complaint, which was reviewed by ComicBook.com, mentions several incidents previously stated in a restraining order filed by Johnson earlier in the year, along with several new incidents. According to the complaint, Foster made "wildly inappropriate and unwanted sexual comments" to Johnson's sister while "fueled by drugs and alcohol." The suit also states that Foster groped a Critical Role employee during a live event in Chicago in February 2020. Another plaintiff (named as Jane Doe) alleges that Foster groped her and "forcibly attempted to stick his hands down her pants" while sitting in the audience at a separate event that took place in Austin in November 2019.

Another plaintiff, also a current Critical Role employee, said that Foster demanded explicit photos of her and groped her during a coffee run in 2019. Two years later in 2021, Foster allegedly attempted to massage and grope the employee again at Johnson's home while they were filming a show. The lawsuit notes that the employee did not report Foster's conduct back in 2019 "as she feared he would retaliate against her" and "was able to manipulate [the plaintiff] into staying quiet because of the goodwill he calculatedly garnered with her at the beginning of her career."

Critical Role provided ComicBook.com with the following statement regarding the lawsuit: "We are aware of the civil complaint that includes disturbing details about the alleged behavior of one of our ex-employees, Brian W. Foster. While we can't get into the specifics of the lawsuit, we want to make it clear that we had no knowledge of any of his alleged behavior. It is heartbreaking to us that some of our colleagues went through this and we're committed to supporting them however we can. We are working with our HR team and our staff directly to ensure our workplace and culture live up to all of our expectations.

Johnson previously filed a restraining order against Foster earlier in 2023, citing that she feared for her life after she broke up with him. The lawsuit notes that Foster allegedly began carrying two Airsoft guns and a garotte, and allegedly "commandeered Johnson's home security cameras and microphones to monitor her and track her comings and goings." 

The lawsuit seeks compensatory and punitive damages as well as an injunction requiring Foster not to contact Johnson, her mother, and her sister and to stay at least 100 feet away from her.

Johnson, best known as a prolific voice actress for numerous video games such as The Last of Us and co-founder of the streaming franchise Critical Role, previously filed a protective order against Foster earlier this year. Foster served as on-air talent for Critical Role until his firing in August 2021. Shortly after the protective order went public, Critical Role scraped most content featuring Foster from their YouTube channel and webpage. Foster denied these allegations and a judge denied Johnson's filing to extend a protective order that she filed in May. Johnson has continued to appear on screen for Critical Role since Johnson's protective order against Foster went live.

Additionally, Bryan Freedman, the attorney representing the plaintiffs in the lawsuit provided the following comment to ComicBook.com. "The police officer who reviewed the evidence was so concerned for Ashley Johnson's safety that he went on his own to a judge to get an immediate emergency protective order against Brian W. Foster. Since then, six additional women have come forward. This lawsuit is filed to both remedy the abuse Foster has inflicted on my seven clients as well as to prevent others from being victimized by Foster's pattern of mental, emotional, and physical abuse."

If you are seeking information or assistance with issues of domestic violence, you can contact the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 800.799.7233.