Nine months after Charlie Kirk’s assassination, court cases continue to be resolved in favor of those who were fired from their jobs over their social media activity about Kirk, and many have received six-figure settlement payouts.
The wave of firings after Kirk’s assassination was spurred on by pro-Trump influencers, lawmakers and Vice President JD Vance.
More than 600 people were fired, suspended or investigated for their statements about Kirk’s death. So far, all the currently known resolved cases involve people who worked in government or at public institutions, where they have stronger First Amendment protections.
- Brittney Brown, formerly employed by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, was fired after reposting a satirical account that pretends to be a whale: “they care exactly as much [about the shooting of Kirk] as charlie kirk cared about children being shot in their classrooms, which is to say, not at all.” She was targeted by Libs of TikTok, settled with the state for $485,000 and left the agency.
- Darren Michael, a tenured professor at Austin Peay State University in Tennessee, was fired after posting a news story from 2023 with the headline “Charlie Kirk Says Gun Deaths ‘Unfortunately’ Worth it to Keep 2nd Amendment.” He got his job back and received a $500,000 settlement.
- Suzanne Swierc, who worked as a health educator at Ball State University in Indiana, was fired after penning a Facebook post that included “If you think Charlie Kirk was a wonderful person, we can’t be friends” and “while it’s difficult, I can and do pray for his soul.” She settled for $225,000 and left the university as part of the settlement.
Larry Bushart, a retired law enforcement officer in Tennessee, was wrongfully detained. He was jailed by the local sheriff’s department in Perry County, Tenn., for 37 days on a $2 million bond for posting a meme that the department claimed caused “mass hysteria.” The meme quoted President Trump reacting to a school shooting in 2024 at Perry High School in Iowa: “We have to get over it.” After his release, Bushart received a $835,000 settlement.