Ryan Upchurch, a YouTuber, comedian, and musician, must pay $17.5 million after a court found him liable for defamation related to videos he created about the death of Kiely Rodni, a teenager.
Daniel Rodni and his father, David Robertson, sued Upchurch after he released videos implying the disappearance wasn’t genuine and falsely accusing the family of scamming people through GoFundMe donations.
In August 2022, Rodni went missing after a party close to Tahoe National Forest in California. Her body was later discovered in her car at the bottom of a local lake. Investigators determined her death was accidental and found no signs of a crime.
Jury awards $17.5 million in Ryan Upchurch defamation case
The trial in Nashville revealed the lawsuit centered around a video that has since been removed, originally titled “ZERO proof of Kiely Rodni situation being REAL.”
Lawyers for Rodni’s family stated that Upchurch’s videos contained untrue statements that caused the family pain and suffering while they were mourning, and also harmed their reputation.
This case also focused on the popularity of online true crime content and whether comments made in widely shared videos went too far, becoming legally considered defamation.
A jury ultimately ruled in favor of Rodni’s family and awarded $17.5 million against Upchurch.
Look, free speech is super important – it’s what makes a free country work, and we really need to defend it right now. My lawyer pointed out that just because I strongly believe in the Constitution and the sacrifices veterans made to protect our rights doesn’t mean I can’t also have sympathy for someone going through a tough time. It’s not an either/or situation, you know?
Mr. Upchurch wants to express his deepest condolences to the Rodni, Robertson, and Nieman families.
The YouTuber provided no additional comment on the verdict.
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2026-05-19 18:18