A federal jury last week determined a Texas-based TikTok influencer was liable for $10 million in damages over her repeated videos accusing a University of Idaho professor of involvement in the murders of four university students in 2022.
The jury concluded that Ashley Guillard, 41, made “false statements” when she claimed that Rebecca Scofield, the university history department chair and an associate professor, “orchestrated the murder of four students at the University of Idaho” and “had an inappropriate romantic relationship with a student,” KIVI reported.
Her videos drew millions of views and were widely shared online.
Scofield, 40, filed suit against Guillard in December 2022, days before Bryan Kohberger was arrested at his parents’ home in Pennsylvania and charged with the murders of Ethan Chapin, Xana Kernodle, Madison Mogen, and Kaylee Goncalves, as CrimeOnline reported. Kohberger eventually pleaded guilty last year to avoid the death penalty.
Guillard began making claims on November 24 and continued to post videos after Scofield sent a cease and desist letter and filed her lawsuit. She claimed she used tarot cards and other readings to solve crimes online.
In the lawsuit, Scofield says she was in Portland, Oregon, with her husband visiting friends at the time of the murders and that none of the four slain students have ever taken a class with her. She also said she doesn’t recall ever meeting any of them.
The day after she filed the lawsuit, the Moscow Police Department posted on Facebook that it did “not believe the female associate professor and chair of the history department at the University of Idaho suing a TikTok user for defamation is involved in this crime.”
In a statement after the jury’s verdict, Scofield thanked the jurors and noted that the judge had already “ruled as a matter of law that the statements were false.”
“The $10 million verdict reinforces the judge’s decision and sends the clear message that false statements online have consequences in the real world for real people and are unacceptable in our community,” she said. “The murders of the four students on November 13, 2022, was the darkest chapter in our university’s history. Today’s decision shows that respect and care should always be granted to victims during these tragedies. I am hopeful that this difficult chapter in my life is over and I can return to a more normal life with my family and the wonderful Moscow community.”
Guillard, who represented herself during the four-day proceedings, continued releasing videos accusing Scofield of involvement in the case up until Kohberger’s was sentenced to four life terms last August, East Idaho News said.
The jurors deliberated for just two hours before awarding Scofield $10 million — ten times more than the $1 million her lawyer asked for.
The bulk of the award — $7.5 million — is for punitive damages and rest is compensatory.
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[Featured image: Ashley Guillard/TikTok]
