A Tennessee man who was jailed for more than a month after posting Facebook memes about the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk reaches a settlement with state officials for $835,000, according to multiple outlets. The plaintiff, 61-year-old retired law enforcement officer Larry Bushart, was arrested in September after authorities treated his social media post as criminal. He spent 37 days in jail before the felony charge was dropped in October, as reported by PBS NewsHour and others.
Bushart filed a lawsuit against Tennessee officials after his detention, arguing that his posting was protected political speech. Several reports describe the case as involving memes that referenced Kirk’s killing. The settlement requires Tennessee to pay Bushart $835,000 to resolve the lawsuit, the outlets say. Coverage largely focuses on the amount and the duration of his incarceration, while also noting that the case ended without the felony proceeding continuing. One outlet reported a different figure in its headline ($1.4 million), but the articles that discuss the settlement amount cite $835,000 as the payout.
