Mignogna Case: The Explosion

Not QUITE yet, but it could be as early as tomorrow afternoon.

Both sides of the Weeb Wars have been lining up for tomorrow's TCPA hearing in Dallas, TX, where former Funimation voice-actor Vic Mignogna is being ordered to appear (on grounds his lawyers may have forged documentation to meet deadlines for this hearing!) by defendant voice-actresses Monica Rial and Jamie Marchi.

Hoo boy.  This shit is getting deeper by the hour.

And I think the final result is going to be a result which will be catastrophic and fatal to the anime industry in the United States.

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Additional charges of "casting couches" and various sexual harassments have been made against Funimation staff Chris Sabat, bringing to at least three the number of talents who have direct sexual harassment/worse situations in this case.  (Todd Haberkorn being the third.)

Sean Schimmel was revealed to be asked to make an anti-Mignogna video by Sabat.  (Sankaku Complex, which also reveals that, in fact, it WAS the 2017 acquisition of Funimation Pictures by Sony which set this all in motion, as, shortly after their acquisition, they outlawed all hugging at the company -- a directive initially ignored!)

One of the biggest stories of the last few days of this case has been the apparent forgery by plaintiff lawyer Ty Beard of Mignogna's signature (according to at least one of the few message boards who is allowing discussion of this polarizing case, they can identify the computer font which Beard used), which, as I said above, is one of the reasons the subpoena to force Mignogna's appearance at the 10 AM CDT hearing tomorrow.

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Basically, in short of tomorrow:

The defendants are seeking not only dismissal of the case by Texas SLAPP law, but sanctions against Mignogna for bringing the case.  If their TCPA motion passes, they win -- but, as I think I've said before (and a lot of especially the Vic-stans on the Net need to hear) the judge can have up to 30 days to decide the merits.  And the best Mignogna gets if it fails is that it gets to go to trial.

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Frankly, I speak with far too much experience on this case.

There is probably, deep in the bowels of various file concatenations in the University of Wisconsin system, at least a file cabinet worth of disciplinary complaints about, effectively, the Mad Hugger of River Falls and Eau Claire, at least September 1987 to February of 1992.

So much so that at least a half a dozen sets of parents retained legal counsel to sue the former university on the grounds of Title IX Failure to Protect.  (Basically, Jameis Winston territory.)

I would assert that many people still believe I was a rapist on at least one of those campuses.  I was not, but, again, "Impact, not intent."

And that's why I am #KickVic in this situation.  I see far too much of myself in my teens and twenties (Any unwanted hug in Wisconsin is not only a 4th degree sexual assault regardless of where, it is also assumed sexually depraved -- so process THOSE criminal ramifications.) in Mignogna.  I just never attained his power anywhere where I was -- and, frankly, there are numerous women who can be thankful for that fact.

As -- frankly, with the understanding of the truth of what men in power are allowed to do in this country -- am I...

I believe Mignogna has committed these acts.

I believe he has been protected by what he calls a "sexually charged atmosphere" at Funimation Pictures and created at many anime conventions across the country.

I believe the #FuniLeaks, and that this is far beyond just Mignogna.

I believe there has been an effort to pin this all on Mignogna, in the hopes the furor dies down and the anime industry can survive this in the United States.

I believe he and his "wingmen", as ex-fiancee Michelle Specht terms them, have acted in conspiracy and in conjunction with Funimation head Gen Fukunaga and convention chairs and staffs across the country to cover up all of their tracks (not just Vic's here) and create an entire environment of sexual grooming, harassment, and rape which permeates the entire American anime industry and convention industry -- to the point neither may well exist if the truth were ever exposed.

And I do believe if the truth ever DOES comes out, they're all going to jail.

Stay tuned.  Tomorrow will be big on this one.