A former university employee secured a $225,000 settlement after being fired for a private social media post criticizing a conservative commentator, sparking a debate over First Amendment rights.



A former Ball State University employee received a $225,000 settlement after she sued over her termination for criticizing late conservative commentator Charlie Kirk over his murder.

Suzanne Swierc was fired in September 2025 after she posted a private Facebook post where she alleged Kirk of spreading violence prior to his assassination by a gunman while speaking at a Turning Point USA event at Utah State University on September 10, 2025. The Christian Post reported.

“Let me be clear: if you think Charlie Kirk was a wonderful person, we can't be friends. His death is a tragedy, and I can and do feel for his wife and children,” Sweirc, who formerly served as the director of health promotion and advocacy at Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana, wrote. “Charlie Kirk's death is a reflection of the violence, fear, and hatred he sowed. It does not excuse his death, AND it's a sad truth.”

She also referenced other gun violence events and accused Kirk of excusing “the deaths of children in the name of the Second Amendment.”

Although Swierc’s post was private, it was screenshotted and shared on X by Libs of TikTok and made public by Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita.

Ball State University terminated Sweirc days later after the school received backlash, including death threats, for her post, according to the Associated Press.

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), which took up Swierc’s case, argued that her termination violated her First Amendment rights because she was “speaking as a private citizen on a matter of public concern,” according to ACLU attorney Stevie Pactor.

“The First Amendment does not allow government institutions to retaliate in those circumstances, and this settlement reflects that,” Pactor said.

Meanwhile, Ball State President Geoffrey Mearns doubled down on Swierc’s termination and argued that the “modest monetary payment” she received in the settlement was minor in comparison to the cost of fighting the lawsuit, according to a Tuesday statement shared with AP.

“The reaction was extraordinarily damaging to our university’s reputation and image, and it was exceptionally disruptive to our mission and our people,” Mearns said.

Source