Suzanne Swierc filed a lawsuit after being fired from Ball State University over social media posts she made after the assassination of conservative spokesman Charlie Kirk.
MUNCIE, Ind. — Fired Ball State administrator will receive $225,000 settlement after being fired Termination for posting on Facebook About the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Indiana announced Tuesday, May 26, that its First Amendment lawsuit against Ball State University President Geoffrey Mearns has been settled.
The lawsuit represents Suzanne Swierc, the university’s former director of health promotion and advocacy.
“As a public university, Ball State cannot fire an employee for making protected speech in his capacity as a private citizen on an issue of public concern,” the ACLU said in a statement. “The agreement also allows Ball State employees to serve as Swierc’s recommenders and provides that, if requested, her supervisors will recognize her positive contributions to the university’s health promotion and advocacy efforts.”
The American Civil Liberties Union said the settlement was fully implemented late last week.
“When Ball State fired Suzanne over a private social media post, she was speaking out as a private citizen on an issue of public concern,” said Stevie Pactor, senior staff attorney at the ACLU. “The First Amendment does not allow a government agency to retaliate in such circumstances, and this settlement reflects that.”
exist Facebook post“If you think Charlie Kirk was a wonderful person, we couldn’t be friends,” Swirk wrote. Swirk went on to call his death “a tragedy” for his family but also “reflective of the violence, fear and hatred he sowed.”
A spokesperson for Ball State University confirmed that Swierc had been terminated on September 17, 2025, citing Hedgepeth v Brittona federal ruling that allows schools to discipline employees when their comments disrupt operations or undermine trust.
However, litigation claims that Swierk’s firing violated her First Amendment right to free speech. The lawsuit alleges that Swierc’s Facebook settings were private, and someone took a screenshot of the post, highlighted portions of it and created an image of her employee list along with the post in Ball State University’s online employee directory.
An image of Swierc’s post was then submitted and shared to Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita’s Focus on Education portalRokita also shared the photo on his Facebook page.
Ball State said in a statement that her position was “inconsistent with the unique nature and trust of her leadership.” Administrators added that this wreaked havoc on the campus.
According to the ACLU, Means met with Swierk a few days after the post to inform her that she would be fired, effective immediately. The American Civil Liberties Union said Swirk did not allow attorneys to attend meetings and that a letter signed by Means stated that the Facebook post was the sole reason for her firing.
