Since mid-January, the accusations of inappropriate contact at conventions by veteran voice actor and developer of Star Trek Continues, Vic Mignogna, have been fiercely divisive on social media. Accusers include fellow voice actors Monica Rial and Jamie Marchie, as well as various online social media commentators (using second-hand accounts) such as MarzGurl (Kaylyn Saucedo, creator of the popular #KickVic). The accusations were highlighted by entertainment sites Polygon and Anime News Network. Vic Mignogna has issued 3 statements on the matter, apologising if any unintentional offence was caused by his behaviour but refuting specific allegations.
A GoFundMe campaign to cover the actor's potential legal costs for defamation claims was started by lawyer Nick Rekieta, and at time of writing stands less than $4,000 short of the $100,000 goal in less than 2 weeks.
This morning (UK time) Senior Partner of Beard Harris Bullock Hughes, Ty Beard, discussed the law surrounding such cases. During this conversation it was announced that another voice actor, Todd Haberkorn, has retained the firm for his own case involving a sexual assault allegation.
Regardless of any individual stance on either case, the "twitter mob" mentality has been drawing attention from multiple media outlets on various cases, including the recent Covington Catholic High School controversy, and the video in question does address some interesting legal facts (such as reiterating someone else's allegation with malicious intent is still actionable) and is worth watching. Whatever the outcome of the legal actions clearly underway, the results are likely to be far reaching and set precedent for future cases.
If you are involved with any online discussions about this or similar issues, the video is linked below for consideration.
Interview with Ty Beard, representing Vic Mignogna and Todd Haberkorn:
