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.

The incident prompted some public figures to urge employers to report and discipline individuals who posted disparaging remarks about him. The Guardian has reported that more than 600 people were fired or otherwise penalized for posts about Kirk's death.

Groups including the FIRE Foundation and the American Civil Liberties Union have filed suits on behalf of affected individuals.