It has reported that Judge John P. Chupp called a hearing in Tarrant County District Court, ordering Vic Mignogna's attorneys Ty Beard and An Lee Hsu to mediate an agreement with Funimation, Monica Rial, and Ron Toye's attorneys Sean Lemoine, Ethan Minshull, Casey S. Erick, Andrea Perez, and John Volney by October 3. Failure to come to an agreement will result in Chupp ruling on the remaining charges on October 4.
For those unaware, Vic Mignogna filed a lawsuit accusing Monica Rial and Ron Toye of defamation and civil conspiracy after anime distributor Funimation severed ties with Mignogna back in February. The case rocked the anime community as many fans quickly sided with either Mignogna or Funimation. Since then, the case has evolved into a full-out debacle that is too slippery to get into here.
The lawsuit filed on April 18 accused voice actresses Jamie Marchi, Monica Rial, and Rial's fiance Ron Toye of alleged defamation, tortious interference, conspiracy, among other charges. The situation spurred when Rial tweeted her own experiences of sexual harassment by Mignogna on February 19.
Needless to say, many Vic supporters weren't happy with the verdict reached by Chupp. During a hearing on September 16, he shared threats he had received following his decision, including this email:
Hello, I just wanted to let you know that judge Chupp is a braindead moron and I sincerely hope someone accuses him of rape. You are the cause of school shootings ... suicides ... hate and violence. Judge Chupp just let a group of open criminals go free, shame on your kangaroo court. When people start uprising I hope your court is the first thing targeted.
As well as this tweet:
"Disillusioned -- the strong reminder that justice only leaves the barrel of a gun." and "When the state fails to defend its citizens, it's only natural that the citizens take care of themselves. It would be a justified kill, and the person doing it can even get annulled for the act of killing and found not guilty for murder."
Since then, Chupp has advised attorneys from inciting their respective supporters.
Although Mignogna is known for his work in the anime-dubbing industry, he has played prominent voice roles in the gaming industry as well, namely Junpei Iori in Persona 3 and Broly in the game adaptations of the Dragon Ball franchise.