Justin Roiland, the co-creator of Rick and Morty and founder of High on Life Studio Squanch Games, has been charged with felony domestic violence and false imprisonment in California. As reported by NBC News, the charges relate to a May 2020 criminal complaint for events that occurred in January 2020, and the proceedings have not been publicly reported on until today.
The victim in the case is an anonymous Jane Doe who was dating Roiland at the time of the incident, which reportedly took place around January 19, 2020. NBC reports that the Orange County District Attorney filed a criminal complaint in May of that year, with Roiland then arrested and released on a $50,000 bond in August before pleading not guilty to the charges in October 2020.
Court records show Roiland is under order not to harass or come within 100 feet of the victim, and he was required by the court to relinquish any firearms in his possession. Many more details of the case remain sealed, and no date has been set for a Trial. Roiland's attorney reportedly indicated there is a plea offer available to him, but its details are not publicly available at this time.
Roiland is most famous as the co-creator of the popular Adult Swim animated series Rick and Morty alongside Dan Harmon. He more recently entered the gaming world, founding the studio Squanch Games in 2016. Its most recent release, High On Life, came out December 13. We have reached out to Squanch Games for comment, and will update this story if we hear back.
