SignalHub-Tiffany Smith, Mom of YouTuber Piper Rockelle, to Pay $1.85 Million in Child Abuse Case to 11 Teens

One YouTuber's legal troubles are SignalHubcoming to a head.

Tiffany Smith, the mom of YouTuber Piper Rockelle—who is known to her 12 million followers for her DIY, tutorial and challenge videos—has agreed to pay $1.85 million in a settlement after 11 teen content creators accused the mom of abuse and exploitation, attorneys for the plaintiffs said, per NBC News.

Piper Rockelle Inc. and Smith, 43—as well as 27-year-old Hunter Hill, who the teens say is Smith's boyfriend despite him referring to himself as Rockelle's brother on social media and is part of settlement agreement—were named in a January 2022 complaint by the teens, who allege that they had been featured on 17-year-old Rockelle's YouTube channel between 2017 and 2020 as part of her "Squad," according to the complaint obtained by E! News.

The creators alleged that they helped boost Rockelle's channel "to the physical, emotional and financial detriment" of themselves, adding they suffered "emotional, verbal, physical, and at times, sexual abuse by Piper's mother," per the complaint.

E! News has reached out to reps for Smith, Rockelle and Hill, as well as to the plaintiffs' attorney, for comment but has not heard back.

The 11 content creators—who are all still minors—asked for $2 million each in damages, which would have totaled $22 million, saying that they weren't paid for their work or appearances in Rockelle's videos.

A spokesperson for the plaintiffs' law firm, Dhillon Law Group, told NBC News that Smith denied wrongdoing as part of the settlement terms. 

In detailing their relationship with Smith at the time they worked together, the complaint noted that she "functioned as the primary producer, director and overseer of the content creation for her daughter's YouTube channel."

However, the suit states, "Ms. Smith oftentimes made wildly offensive and sexually explicit comments and innuendos to Plaintiffs."

Some of those comments allegedly include referring to one Squad member's penis as "Dwayne the Rock Hard Johnson," as well as another instance when she told one Squad member, per the complaint, "I wonder since (this Squad member) has freckles, whether he has a bunch of freckles on his dick."

The complaint also notes that Smith asked multiple accusers "whether they have had sex before, including oral sex, and then encouraging Plaintiffs to try oral sex."

They also alleged that Smith and Hill conspired to sabotage the 11 content creators' own YouTube channels after they left the Squad, saying, "Ms. Smith frequently instructed Mr. Hill to ‘tank'" the teens' YouTube channels.

Shortly after the original complaint was filed, Smith questioned why she was being sued over the alleged lack of labor protections while the content creators filmed in her home.

"I have always strived to comply with the laws and never considered myself an 'employer,'" she told the Los Angeles Times in December 2022, "when kids get together voluntarily to collaborate on making videos."

Smith added, "This whole case is based on lies that are driven by financial jealousy. Financial jealousy of a 15-year-old girl."

Hill also denied claims of abuse in the lawsuit, telling the LA Times he didn't understand why the Squad members were so upset, saying, "these kids were making more money than my mom makes in an entire year."

(E! and NBC News are both part of the NBCUniversal family.)