Nashville YouTuber hit with $17.5M verdict in defamation case over true crime video, attorney says

What This Story Is About

• A Nashville YouTuber has been hit with a nearly $20 million verdict in a defamation case over a true crime video.

Why It Matters

• The family of the victim said the videos spread false claims during a time of intense grief and caused damage to the family’s reputation and emotional distress.

What Happens Next

• The case is now in the punitive damages phase, according to an attorney.

NASHVILLE, TN (WSMV) – A defamation trial involving a Nashville YouTuber and a viral true crime video has ended with a $17.5 million verdict.

The lawsuit was filed against YouTuber Ryan Upchurch by relatives of Kiely Rodni, a 16-year-old California girl who disappeared in August 2022 after attending a party near Tahoe National Forest.

Her body was later found inside her SUV in a nearby lake. Authorities ruled her death an accident and said there was no evidence of foul play.

The girl’s father, Daniel Rodni, and grandfather, David Robertson, sued Upchurch in federal court in Nashville in 2023, claiming he defamed them in a video titled “ZERO proof of Kiely Rodni situation being REAL.”

According to the lawsuit, Upchurch suggested the case was fake and part of a scam to raise money through GoFundMe.

Previous: Nashville YouTuber sued for defamation over true crime video

Attorneys for Rodni’s family said the videos spread false claims during a time of intense grief and caused damage to the family’s reputation and emotional distress.

The case centered on the limits of online commentary in the true crime community and whether statements made in viral videos crossed the line from opinion into defamation.

The jury’s verdict awarded $17.5M against Upchurch.

Upchurch’s counsel released the following statement:

The freedom of speech is one of the most fundamental rights that is necessary for every free society, and that right is one that needs protecting now more than ever. While Mr. Upchurch is a staunch advocate for the United States Constitution and the rights that so many veterans fought and died for, Mr. Upchurch can be that advocate and also feel sympathy for a family in their time of grief. It is in this spirit that Mr. Upchurch would like to extend his heartfelt sympathy to the Rodni, Robertson, and Nieman families. Mr. Upchurch asks that the family be given respect and time to grieve and move forward with their lives, and would ask that the family be allowed to heal in peace.

As to the verdict, Mr. Upchurch has no comment at this time. 

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