Ball State University is paying $225,000 to Suzanne Swierc, the former director of Health Promotion and Advocacy who was fired for a Facebook post about Charlie Kirk.
Swierc, who worked in an administrative health role, posted on her personal Facebook account after Kirk's assassination. She wrote, "Let me be clear: if you think Charlie Kirk was a wonderful person, we can't be friends." She called the shooting "a tragedy," expressed empathy for Kirk's family, but noted it was "a reflection of the violence, fear, and hatred he sowed."
When right-wing account Libs of TikTok amplified the post and Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita joined the criticism, Ball State President Geoffrey Mearns fired Swierc immediately, citing the Facebook post as his reason.
Swierc and the ACLU of Indiana sued in September 2025, arguing that a government institution cannot legally retaliate against an employee for private speech on matters of public concern. The court agreed.
"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."
Mearns released a statement saying he "stood by" the firing decision but agreed to the payout because it is "substantially less than the anticipated amount of our University's legal fees to defend the case."
The settlement also requires Ball State to allow Swierc to use employees as references and have supervisors acknowledge her "positive contributions" if asked.
Read the full story at Rolling Stone.
