Individuals Fired Over Social Media Posts About Charlie Kirk Win Settlements

A handful of individuals who faced termination or other penalties after posting criticism of Charlie Kirk on social media have received settlements totaling more than $2.2 million in First Amendment cases resolved so far this year.

Swierc, who worked in administration at Ball State University in Indiana, received a $225,000 settlement after the school cited a Facebook post about Kirk as the sole reason for her dismissal. In the post, she described Kirk's killing as a reflection of violence and hatred.

Larry Bushart, a retired police officer in Tennessee, was awarded an $835,000 settlement after he was charged with a felony and spent over a month in jail for refusing to delete posts criticizing Kirk, his organization, and President Donald Trump. Biologist Brittney Brown received a $485,000 settlement from Florida's Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission after the agency fired her for reposting a meme about Kirk.

She stated the firing occurred the day after her post.

A tenured professor at Austin Peay State University in Tennessee was rehired and awarded a $500,000 settlement after the school acknowledged a violation of due process rights over a social media post sharing a 2023 news headline about Kirk. A Clemson University professor was ordered paid through the end of the spring semester after being terminated last fall for a Facebook post criticizing Kirk's statements on gun control.

The amount was not disclosed but is estimated near his prior salary of just over $90,000. A teacher at a nonprofit was awarded unemployment benefits after being dismissed for a Facebook post stating she would not miss Kirk.