A woman who was terminated from her position at an Indiana university due to a Facebook post criticizing conservative activist Charlie Kirk will receive $225,000 as part of a legal settlement. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) announced the settlement following a federal lawsuit filed on behalf of Suzanne Swierc against Ball State University President Geoffrey Mearns.
Swierc, who served as the director of health promotion and advocacy at Ball State in Muncie, Indiana, was dismissed in September 2022. The university cited her Facebook post about Kirk as the sole reason for her termination, claiming it caused significant disruption on campus. ACLU attorney Stevie Pactor stated that Swierc's firing violated her constitutional rights, as she was expressing her views as a private citizen on a matter of public concern.
Mearns defended the decision to fire Swierc, stating that the backlash from her post threatened student enrollment and fundraising efforts. He described the settlement as a modest payment compared to the costs of litigation. Kirk, the founder of Turning Point USA, was killed on September 10, 2022, on a Utah university campus. Swierc's case is part of a broader trend, as several individuals have faced termination for social media comments regarding Kirk's assassination, with some receiving settlements in similar lawsuits.