SALT LAKE CITY (KUTV) — Robert “Robby” Hild Jr., a graduate of Brigham Young University, has filed a lawsuit against Candace Owens, alleging that the conservative commentator falsely linked him to the assassination of Charlie Kirk at Utah Valley University. The lawsuit was filed on Monday in U.S. District Court for the District of Utah against Owens, Candace Owens LLC, and GeorgeTom Inc., which operates her website and podcast platforms.
The complaint includes allegations of defamation, implied defamation, intentional infliction of emotional distress, and false-light invasion of privacy. Hild is seeking damages to be determined at trial, punitive damages, attorney fees where allowed, and costs.
The lawsuit pertains to Owens’ coverage of the assassination of Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk on September 10, 2025, at UVU in Orem. Hild claims that Owens used photographs of him and made statements that led viewers to believe he could be the person shown in FBI stairwell images connected to the shooting during multiple live broadcasts.
Owens reportedly stated during a September 30, 2025, episode, “Because I got to identify that guy in the blue hat. He kind of resembles certainly more so than Tyler Robinson does, the blurred image of the individual that was coming up the stairs.” Hild's lawsuit asserts that this claim was false, as video evidence places him in the audience at 11:52 a.m., while the stairwell images of the suspect were taken at about 11:51 a.m. The complaint states, “The documented presence in the crowd at the precise moment the stairwell photographs were taken rendered it physically impossible for Hild to be the individual depicted.”
The lawsuit alleges that Owens had access to information that could have cleared Hild before making her statements. Hild claims that a friend who attended the event with him responded to Owens’ direct message and offered to provide photos and video. Additionally, another friend emailed Owens’ tip line to clarify that Hild had been in the audience and “had nothing to do with this.”
Despite this, Owens reportedly told viewers that no one had identified the individuals in a photograph with Broderick, stating, “Nobody? Nobody? In the whole wide Candace Owens universe of investigation?” The complaint also alleges that Owens later named Hild and suggested he might be using a false identity or could have connections to foreign actors and the Azov Battalion in Ukraine.
Hild, who is an American citizen with no ties to the Azov Battalion, Russia, Ukraine, or any terrorist organization, claims that Owens described an old costume-party photo of him as evidence of a “gothic underground” and “communist underground,” stripping it of context. The lawsuit states that Owens’ coverage led to Hild being identified online, accused of involvement in Kirk’s death, and threatened.
As a result of the allegations, Hild states that he left Utah for several months, sought medical treatment for anxiety and depression, and feared exposing his girlfriend to harassment. The complaint details incidents of vandalism to his home and vehicle, stalking attempts, and law enforcement advising him and his roommates to avoid staying at their homes.
The lawsuit claims that the defendants orchestrated a sustained campaign that resulted in “death threats, stalking, harassment of family members, vandalism, and Hild being forced to relocate from his home state.” Hild's lawyers released a statement saying, “Candace Owens thrust our client Robby Hild, an innocent attendee at the event where Charlie Kirk was assassinated, into the spotlight through her conspiracy theory that Hild played a nefarious, central role in the assassination. Owens' lies about our client have destroyed his reputation and his privacy. After she refused to publish a retraction, we filed this lawsuit to stop Owens from further defaming our client and to repair the harm caused by Owens' large audience believing Hild played a role in the horrific killing of a public figure in his home state.”