Vic's Lawsuit Dismissed - A Personal Reflection
17 charges. All dismissed. Something I always hoped would happen, but even now I can't fully express the relief I have for the people involved in this case which has caused so much stress for me over the last 9 months.
Vic Mignogna's lawsuit against Funimation, Monica Rial, Jamie Marchi and Ron Toye was for all extents and purposes an embarrassing waste of time and human resources. A desperate attempt to shut up these individuals for giving survivors a voice. Dozens of women who alleged sexual harassment/assault at the hands of Mignogna over three decades. Two of them Monica and Jamie themselves.
It didn't have to go this way. Had Vic simply took a break after the initial allegations and made the effort to seek help for his behaviour (like he said he would back in February), his career may have had a chance of recovering. I can't say he would have been so easily forgiven, but if he truly learned from his mistakes and made sincere efforts to redeem himself, it could have happened. Whether it was down to ego or pride though, Vic just couldn't do it.
This past year has been a living hell, not just for the victims, but for the thousands of fans who chose to believe them in the face of extreme hostility from Vic's supporters. We've all seen the lurid clickbait videos accusing the defendants of lying, exploiting the man's firing to steal voice roles or even being just as guilty as Vic for telling raunchy/offensive jokes in a recording booth (clearly there's a strong difference between that and making people uncomfortable from not keeping your hands to yourself, but I digress).
I myself was subject to derision from fans of Vic on here and on Twitter for openly supporting Monica Rial and challenging misinformation about the case spread by the blackface-wearing, trust fund-exploiting, alcohol-abusing, less-than-five-years-law-experience grifter who convinced the guy to sue in the first place. It wasn't very nice to say the least, but I hold no grudge against those who were simply taken in by Rekieta's charisma without truly knowing all the details only the official court documents can offer (which you can read here, unfiltered).
Now that the case has been dismissed in its entirety, I can only hope the anime community can recover and that Vic's more vocal defenders bring their campaign of harassment to a close. The legitimate fans of Vic who weren't out for blood should honestly be up in arms over the way these people have conducted themselves and destroyed the man's reputation more than his accusers ever could.
I'm not trying to say the anti-Vic side were angels themselves, but whatever blunt statements were made by Jamie Marchi, Amanda Winn-Lee or whoever during this whole mess, they were minor offences compared to the doxxing of victims, baselessly accusing Monica of "wanting Vic to kill himself" or the profiting off harassing the defendants through monetized YouTube uploads the main ISWV voices engaged in on a almost daily basis.
I also pray Vic's exposure and lawsuit being dismissed will send a clear message to those in positions of power. It doesn't matter how many people you enchant with your voice roles or convention appearances. If, at the same time, you are sexually harassing fans and colleagues, robbing them of their dignity, robbing them of their happiness and then hide behind a mob of vindictive YouTubers when you're called out on your behaviour, you can only be a bad person and your legacy will always be toxic.
I write this not to celebrate Vic's defeat, but to provide some closure for myself, who at times felt terribly depressed over my decision to stand up for those I believed in this year. In the end, I believe the quote I asked Monica Rial to sign my Noir poster with earlier this year perfectly sums up the outcome of this horrendous ordeal.
"Hatred can never save anyone!"
Kirika Yuumura, Noir (Episode 25)