“Tarot Cards and Lies: TikTok Influencer Hit with $10 Million Verdict for Defaming Idaho Professor”
A TikTok creator who claimed that tarot cards had revealed the suspect in the 2022 Idaho student murders has been ordered to pay $10 million in damages.Ashley Guillard posted dozens of videos in which she confidently accused Rebecca Scofield, a professor at the University of Idaho, of being responsible for the brutal killings of four students — despite having absolutely no evidence to support her claims.
The false accusations spread rapidly across social media and continued for years, gaining significant traction online. Guillard kept posting even after police had identified and arrested the actual suspect, Bryan Kohberger, who now faces charges in the case.Scofield testified in court that the relentless accusations caused her severe emotional distress, anxiety, and long-term damage to her personal and professional reputation.
The baseless claims affected her career, her mental health, and her sense of safety.After deliberating for less than two hours, a federal jury sided decisively with the professor. They awarded Rebecca Scofield $10 million in damages, sending a clear and powerful message about the serious real-world consequences of spreading dangerous, unverified accusations on social media.The high-profile verdict has sparked renewed debate: Should influencers and online creators face harsher penalties for recklessly spreading false and defamatory claims that can destroy innocent people’s lives?
