YouTuber hit with $17.5M verdict in defamation case over Kiely Rodni true crime video

NASHVILLE, TN (WSMV/Gray News) - A defamation trial involving a YouTuber and a video he made about the Kiely Rodni case ended with a $17.5 million verdict.

The lawsuit was filed against YouTuber Ryan Upchurch by relatives of 16-year-old Rodni.

Rodni 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. It alleged Upchurch said in the video, “Everyone telling me I should be ashamed of myself, how dare you, that, oh, this is faked-show me that it’s real. Show me proof of Kiely Rodni.”

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.

“They felt powerless and victimized. There was nothing they could do to stop these videos,” said Chris Smith, an attorney who represented members of Rodni’s family. “These videos were going viral, getting hundreds of thousands of views on a platform that has 3 million followers.”

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 ultimately ruled in favor of Rodni’s family, hitting Upchurch with a $17.5 million verdict.

Following the verdict, Upchurch’s counsel released a statement saying he would like to express his “heartfelt sympathy” to the family, but did not comment on the verdict itself.

“The freedom of speech is one of the most fundamental rights that is necessary for every free society ... While Mr. Upchurch is a staunch advocate for the United States Constitution and the rights ... Mr. Upchurch can be that advocate and also feel sympathy for a family in their time of grief,” the statement said in part.

The case will now go through the punitive damages phase, according to an attorney.