The Orange County, California, District Attorney’s Office said Wednesday it has dismissed domestic violence charges against «Rick and Morty» co-creator Justin Roiland.
“We dismissed the charges today because there was insufficient evidence to prove the case beyond a reasonable doubt,” Kimberly Edds, a spokeswoman for the district attorney’s office, said in a statement.
Edds said «significant additional information has come to light.»
Roiland confirmed on social media that the case had been dismissed.
“I always knew these claims were false,” Roiland wrote in a statement on Twitter.
In a statement to NBC News, a lawyer for Roiland said the district attorney’s office conducted a «thorough review of the facts.»
“I am grateful that justice has prevailed,” attorney T. Edward Welbourn wrote in the statement.
NBC News first reported in January that Roiland had been charged with felony domestic battery with bodily harm and felony false imprisonment by threat, violence, fraud and/or deception. He was first charged in May 2020 and was arrested and released on bail in August 2020.
In his statement, Roiland called the accuser, whose name has not been released, a «bitter ex» and accused her of trying to evade due process so that he would be «terminated.»
After the charges became public, Adult Swim announced that it was parting ways with Roiland and reprising the two lead characters from «Rick and Morty,» whom Roiland had voiced. Hulu also announced that it would be changing Roiland’s role in «Solar Opposites» and that he would not be involved in any future projects. Roiland’s video game studio Squanch Games released a statement saying that Roiland had resigned there.
Roiland said in Wednesday’s statement that he «will move forward and focus on both my creative endeavors and restoring my good name.»