A University of Idaho professor, Rebecca Scofield, has filed a lawsuit against Ashley Guillard, a TikTok tarot reader, for inaccurately linking her to the murders of four students.
According to The Independent, Scofield’s legal team argues Guillard falsely accused the history professor of participating in a murder-for-hire plot in the killings of students Madison Mogen, Kaylee Goncalves, Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin.
Guillard claims to solve high-profile mysterious deaths through tarot reading to her 100,000 followers. As the murder case is still an open investigation, Guillard has posted multiple TikTok videos incriminating professor Scofield. Guillard has also romantically linked the history professor with one of the victims, noting the affair was allegedly the motive behind the killings.
The four victims weren’t in any of Scofield’s classes; she says she never met them.
Wendy Olson, Scofield’s attorney, said the false accusations affected the professor’s reputation and re-victimized the students’ families.
Scofield’s legal team sent cease and desist letters before the lawsuit moved forward. Guillard has responded on TikTok by recording herself going to the bathroom with the letter and saying, “I’ll wipe my ass with this.”
“Professor Scofield twice sent cease and desist letters to Ms. Guillard, but Ms. Guillard has continued to make false statements, knowing they are false. Thus, this lawsuit became necessary to protect Professor Scofield’s safety and her reputation,” Olsen said.
Guillard has also made statements in her TikTok videos alleging she has nothing to be afraid of, and the truth will come out through this investigation.
On Tuesday, the Moscow Police Department addressed the incident, repeatedly asking the community and viewers not to engage in misinformation online.
“At this time in the investigation, detectives do not believe the female associate professor and chair of the history department at the University of Idaho suing a TikTok user for defamation is involved in this crime,” a statement by the department reads. “The Moscow Police Department will not provide a statement about the ongoing civil process.”
Before the lawsuit, police had not mentioned or linked Scofield to the case.
