Suzanne Swierc, the former director of Health Promotion and Advocacy at Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana, has been awarded $225,000 in a settlement following her termination over social media remarks about Charlie Kirk.
“Suzanne was speaking as a private citizen on a matter of public concern when Ball State fired her over a private social media post,” said Stevie Pactor, senior staff attorney at the ACLU of Indiana. “The First Amendment does not allow government institutions to retaliate in those circumstances, and this settlement reflects that.”
Swierc and the ACLU filed a lawsuit against Ball State University in September 2025, alleging a violation of her First Amendment rights. The termination occurred after Swierc was targeted by the right-wing social media account Libs of TikTok on X, as well as Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita, regarding posts she made on a private Facebook account following the death of Kirk.
In the post, Swierc wrote, “Let me be clear: if you think Charlie Kirk was a wonderful person, we can’t be friends.” She described his death as “a tragedy,” expressed empathy for his family, and noted that while the shooting was “a reflection of the violence, fear, and hatred he sowed,” it “does not excuse his death.” Ball State University President Geoffrey Mearns cited the post as the primary reason for her immediate termination.
Swierc’s role at the university was administrative rather than faculty-based, focusing on health and wellness programming for students. According to the ACLU, the settlement agreement allows former colleagues to serve as references for Swierc and stipulates that her supervisors will acknowledge her positive contributions to the university’s health promotion efforts if asked.
In a statement regarding the settlement, Mearns maintained his stance on the firing, claiming the public response to the post was “extraordinarily damaging to our University’s reputation and image.” He added that the settlement payment was authorized because it was “substantially less than the anticipated amount of our University’s legal fees to defend the case.”
This case follows similar legal developments in the region. Earlier this year, Austin Peay State University reinstated a professor fired under similar circumstances, awarding him $500,000. Additionally, a biologist fired by Florida’s Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission for sharing memes about Kirk’s death was recently awarded $485,000 in a settlement.