Woman fired by university over Charlie Kirk post settles lawsuit for $225K
Ball State University agreed to pay Suzanne Swierc, the university’s former director of health promotion and advocacy, after she filed a federal lawsuit alleging the school violated her constitutional rights when it fired her in September, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) announced Tuesday. Swierc was terminated in September after making a post on her private Facebook account following Kirk’s assassination at a Turning Point USA event in Utah. The school defended her termination, citing the post as the sole reason for firing her and saying her comments “caused a major public controversy” that “led to substantial disruption” to the university’s operations.
- ▪Ball State University agreed to pay Suzanne Swierc, the university’s former director of health promotion and advocacy, after she filed a federal lawsuit alleging the school violated her constitutional rights when it fired her in September,
- ▪Swierc was terminated in September after making a post on her private Facebook account following Kirk’s assassination at a Turning Point USA event in Utah.
- ▪The school defended her termination, citing the post as the sole reason for firing her and saying her comments “caused a major public controversy” that “led to substantial disruption” to the university’s operations.
5 outlets in our directory ran this story, first to last over 23 hours. Coverage spans 2 points on the political spectrum — 2 lean left, 2 centre.
- ▪ Ball State Settles With Ex-Employee for $225,000 Over Charlie Kirk Posts — NYT — US
- ▪ Woman fired by Ball State University over Charlie Kirk post will get $225,000 in settlement — r/news
- ▪ Ball State fired her over a private Facebook post on Charlie Kirk. Now it’s paying $225,000 — Fortune
- ▪ Woman fired by Indiana university over Charlie Kirk post to receive $225,000 legal settlement — ABC News — Politics
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| Original publisher | The Hill |
| Canonical URL | https://thehill.com/homenews/education/5897531-social-media-lawsuit-charlie-kirk/ |
| Publication time | Wed, 27 May 2026 16:50:33 +0000 |
| Retrieval time | 2026-05-27T17:03:01.940Z |
| Last seen | 2026-05-27T17:03:05.021Z |
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Education Woman fired by university over Charlie Kirk post settles lawsuit for $225K by Finya Swai - 05/27/26 12:50 PM ET Link copied by Finya Swai - 05/27/26 12:50 PM ET Link copied NOW PLAYING A university in Indiana will pay a former employee $225,000 to settle a lawsuit after she was fired over a social media post criticizing conservative commentator Charlie Kirk after he was killed last year. Ball State University agreed to pay Suzanne Swierc, the university’s former director of health promotion and advocacy, after she filed a federal lawsuit alleging the school violated her constitutional rights when it fired her in September, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) announced Tuesday.
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Excerpt limited to ~120 words for fair-use compliance. The full article is at The Hill.