Speaking out on the massive verdict. Earlier this week, country rap artist Ryan Upchurch was ordered to pay $17.5 million to the family of a California teenager who went missing back in 2022 before being found deceased weeks later. 16-year-old Kiely Rodni went missing back in 2022 after leaving a party near a campground in Truckee, California, near Lake Tahoe. After a two-week search, Rodni’s vehicle was located inside a reservoir near where she went missing. The coroner ruled at the time that her cause of death was drowning and that the death was accidental, with the sheriff’s office releasing a statement confirming that no foul play was suspected: “This ruling is based on the pathologist’s finding that her death was the result of drowning and that there was no other information to suggest she was the victim of foul play.” Following her death, a lawsuit was filed against country artist Ryan Upchurch for videos he had posted on the case, including one during the time she was missing titled “ZERO proof of Kiely Rodni situation being REAL.” In the video, Upchurch says: “Do you realize that you can be a millionaire on GoFundMe by catfishing people with internet deaths? You could do it fast as f–k. Look at the Kiely Rodni GoFundMe. It’s made $63,000 in the past seven days. That’s one GoFundMe for Kiely Rodni. If you have five GoFundMe’s for each individual person that you catfish, fake a death with, all you need is three people. Three people. Three viral stories. You’re a millionaire in two weeks.” The lawsuit, filed by the teenager’s father David Rodni and grandfather Daniel Robertson, accused Upchurch of defamation, false light invasion of privacy, intentional infliction of emotional distress, and negligent infliction of emotional distress, while asking for unspecified damages including “damages to their reputation, financial losses, emotional distress, and punitive damages,” citing the artist’s “outrageous, intentional, reckless, and conscious-shocking tortious actions.” Upchurch filed a motion to dismiss the lawsuit, arguing that his statements in the videos were his opinions and that his speech was protected by the First Amendment: “All of Mr. Upchurch’s videos contain the same elements of drama, hyperbolic language, and heated debate that would certainly give the audience the impression Mr. Upchurch was not asserting objective fact. Mr. Upchurch is not presenting his statements with any indication of private and personal knowledge or authority on investigations.” The court, however, denied Upchurch’s motion to dismiss, and the case ultimately went to trial last week. And on Monday, a Nashville jury found for Rodni’s family on all counts, awarding David Rodni and Daniel Robertson a total of $17.5 million in damages. Following the verdict, his general counsel and manager Tia Bailiff released a statement expressing sympathy for the family of the teenager: “The freedom of speech is one of the most fundamental rights that is necessary for every free society, and that right is one that needs protecting now more than ever. While Mr. Upchurch is a staunch advocate for the United States Constitution and the rights that so many veterans fought and died for, Mr. Upchurch can be that advocate and also feel sympathy for a family in their time of grief. It is in this spirit that Mr. Upchurch would like to extend his heartfelt sympathy to the Rodni, Robertson, and Nieman families. Mr. Upchurch asks that the family be given respect and time to grieve and move forward with their lives, and would ask that the family be allowed to heal in peace. As to the verdict, Mr. Upchurch has no comment at this time.” A statement was also issued by the Rodni’s family, celebrating the verdict as allowing them to move forward during this painful time: “This verdict stands as a powerful reminder that using a massive online platform to spread false claims about a grieving family has real consequences. Now, the family can finally move forward in peace and focus on what matters most — honoring the memory of Kiely Rodni.” Upchurch has not otherwise commented on the verdict or whether he plans to appeal the massive award.The post Statement Released By Attorney For Ryan Upchurch After Being Ordered To Pay $17.5 Million To Family Of Deceased California Teenager first appeared on Whiskey Riff.