YouTuber and musician Ryan Upchurch, who has recently drawn attention for his public feud with country-rap star Jelly Roll and his wife Bunnie Xo, is now facing a massive legal loss of his own.
A Tennessee jury has ordered Upchurch to pay $17.5 million to the family of Kiely Rodni after finding him liable for defamation and intentional infliction of emotional distress tied to conspiracy-focused videos he posted about the teen’s death.
According to NewsNation, the lawsuit was filed by Rodni’s father, Daniel Rodni, and grandfather, David Robertson, after Upchurch uploaded content questioning whether the 16-year-old’s disappearance and death were real. According to court filings, one of the videos was titled “ZERO proof of Kiely Rodni situation being REAL,” and allegedly accused the family of participating in a scam connected to GoFundMe fundraising efforts. On May 18, jurors sided with the family and awarded Daniel Rodni $6.5 million and Robertson $11 million.
Rodni disappeared in August 2022 after attending a large party near California’s Prosser Family Campground, close to Tahoe National Forest. Her body was later discovered inside her submerged Honda CR-V in Prosser Lake after a volunteer dive group, Adventures with Purpose, located the vehicle underwater.
The case exploded online as amateur investigators, YouTubers, and conspiracy creators dissected details surrounding the discovery, including the vehicle’s position, partially open windows, and witness claims tied to the night she vanished.
Some of those unanswered questions fueled massive speculation online. In footage released by Adventures with Purpose, diver Nick Rinn said the scene “looks suspicious to me” after discovering Rodni’s body in the rear section of the upside-down SUV.
Another man interviewed as part of the search effort claimed he may have encountered Rodni hours after she was last seen. Authorities later ruled the death an accident, stating there was no evidence she had been harmed by another person.
Attorneys representing the Rodni family argued that Upchurch’s videos intensified the family’s grief while exposing them to harassment and reputational damage. “They felt powerless and victimized,” attorney Chris Smith told reporters. “There was nothing they could do to stop these videos.”
Smith also noted the clips spread rapidly across YouTube, where Upchurch had millions of followers and videos pulling hundreds of thousands of views.
The judgment lands during another highly public stretch for Upchurch online. In recent weeks, the creator has launched repeated attacks against Jelly Roll and Bunnie Xo, including releasing a diss track titled “Been Behind,” where he questioned Jelly Roll’s public image, prison history, and branding.
Upchurch’s legal team responded after the ruling by expressing “heartfelt sympathy” to Rodni’s family while also defending free speech protections.
