$18 Million Verdict: YouTuber's False Claims About Kiely Rodni Case Cost Him Dearly

A Tennessee jury just sent a message that will reverberate across social media: spreading lies about a grieving family has a price tag, and it’s a big one.

Ryan Upchurch, a YouTuber with 3.1 million subscribers, was ordered to pay $18 million to the family of Kiely Rodni after a defamation trial found him guilty of damaging their reputation and causing emotional distress. The verdict breaks down to $17.5 million in compensatory damages and $500,000 in punitive damages, directed to Rodni’s father Daniel Rodni and her grandfather David Robertson.

Here’s the backstory that makes this case so significant for Sacramento’s broader community: Kiely Rodni, a 16-year-old from Truckee, went missing on August 6, 2022, after attending a party near Tahoe National Forest. About two weeks later, a volunteer dive group called Adventures with Purpose discovered her body inside her car submerged in nearby Prosser Reservoir. Authorities determined her death was accidental—she had drowned, with no evidence of foul play. It was a tragedy that shook the region.

But instead of letting the family grieve, Upchurch used his massive platform to peddle conspiracy theories. He posted videos and pictures claiming the entire case was fake, that it was a scam to raise money through GoFundMe. He shared the former home address of Rodni’s father and published images of her grandfather. He even directed his followers—his“creek squad”—to search for her vehicle and falsely claimed he’d found the car at the family’s home. All of it was designed to fuel engagement and, according to the lawsuit, promote his own music content.

The family’s statement after the verdict cuts right to the heart of what was at stake:“This verdict stands as a powerful reminder that using a massive online platform to spread false claims about a grieving family has real consequences.”They can finally move forward and focus on honoring Kiely’s memory.

This case is a landmark moment. It’s one thing to have free speech protections—quite another to abuse them by targeting vulnerable people at their most fragile. As social media continues to blur the lines between opinion and fabrication, this verdict suggests courts are willing to hold influencers accountable when they cross into genuine harm.