UI professor awarded $10 million in three-year-long defamation lawsuit  

A three-year defamation lawsuit ended with University of Idaho professor Rebecca Scofield being awarded $10 million in damages after she sued Texas true crime TikToker, Ashley Guillard. Guillard was sued for defamation after she accused the professor of the November 2022 murders of four UI students.  

Guillard, a TikTok personality, preformed a tarot card following the murder of four UI students by Bryan Kohberger in 2022, where she falsely accused Scofield of involvement in the case and posted over 100 videos arguing her stance.  

Scofield, who is a UI history professor and department chair, testified at the four-day federal trial, stating that the false public accusations caused her severe anxiety, PTSD and intense nerve pain, which has made her position as of UI history chair difficult, as well as damaging her career.  

Scofield and her attorneys were originally asking for $1.8 million, but she was awarded $10 million damages. The jury determined that $7.5 million of the award is for punitive damages to prevent Guillard from acting this way in the future, and the other $2.5 million is compensatory for losses including medical expenses and noneconomic costs, such as pain and suffering.  

“The $10 million verdict reinforces the judge’s decision and sends the clear message that false statements online have consequences,” Scofield said in a statement received by The Argonaut “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.” 

In 2023, Guillard ignored cease-and-desist letters from Scofield, prompting Scofield to sue the TikToker.  After this initial suit in June 2024, U.S. Magistrate Judge Raymond Patricco stated that there was no viable evidence that supported Guillard’s statements and stated that the claims made in the 100 plus TikTok videos published were defamatory under the law.  

During the trial, Guillard represented herself, continuing statements that she believed that all of the information in her 2022 TikTok videos were still true, and that her intention was to raise awareness about the murders, and push authorities to investigate potential leads, according to the Idaho Statesman.  

Scofield’s attorney, Wendy Olson, states that Guillard did try to gain more information from the Moscow Police, but those inquiries were submitted in 2025, three years after Guillard’s first accusations toward Scofield, and after Kohberger pled guilty.  

Josie Adjanohoun can be reached at [email protected].