Professor sues TikTok poster who accused her in University of Idaho killings

A College of Idaho professor sued a TikTok poster for defamation after she printed movies accusing the professor of killing 4 college students in an off-campus dwelling final month.

Ashley Guillard, a self-styled web sleuth with roughly 108,000 TikTok followers, has posted dozens of movies accusing Rebecca Scofield, the chair of the college’s historical past division, of orchestrating the 4 college students’ killings. She says she primarily based the accusation on Tarot card readings.

Authorities haven’t named a suspect within the case, which has gained nationwide consideration, however they steered the scholars had been stabbed to loss of life, possible whereas they slept of their beds. There is no such thing as a identified proof connecting Scofield to the killings.

In a criticism filed in Idaho’s federal district court docket on Wednesday, Scofield mentioned Guillard’s TikToks had been false and that she didn’t adjust to two cease-and-desist letters demanding Guillard take down the movies and challenge an apology.

Scofield is in search of an unspecified quantity of compensatory and punitive damages and has requested a jury trial.

“Guillard’s false TikToks have broken Professor Scofield’s status,” the criticism reads. “They’ve induced her vital emotional misery. She fears for her life and for the lives of her members of the family. She has incurred prices, together with prices to put in a safety system and safety cameras at her residence. She fears that Guillard’s false statements might encourage somebody to trigger hurt to her or her members of the family.”

Scofield within the go well with additionally mentioned she was in Portland, Ore., together with her husband through the time of the killings and checked out of a resort within the metropolis hours after the killings occurred.

“Professor Scofield didn’t commit or in any approach take part within the murders of the 4 college students,” the criticism states.

Guillard acknowledged the lawsuit in a collection of TikToks over the previous week, though she mentioned in a single she had not but been served with the criticism.

“I’m not stopping, so let’s simply begin there,” Guillard mentioned in one of many movies.

In a later put up, Guillard mentioned she was “gleaming with pleasure” so she might “current my concepts in court docket” in regards to the killings.