Ball State University in Indiana agrees to pay $225,000 to settle a lawsuit brought by Suzanne Swierc, a former director of health promotion and advocacy, according to multiple reports. Swierc was fired after making a Facebook post criticizing conservative commentator Charlie Kirk following Kirk’s death last year. Ball State said the post caused “significant disruption” to the campus community.
Swierc filed suit alleging the university violated her free speech rights. Several outlets report that the case was connected to the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), which brought the federal lawsuit and later announced the settlement. The lawsuit names Ball State University President Geoffrey Mearns, according to reporting from The Guardian.
The settlement agreement is described by attorneys as resolving the dispute without a public adjudication of the underlying claims, with Swierc set to receive $225,000. No source cited in the provided material attributes an admission of wrongdoing to the university.
