The University of Tennessee is set to pay $1.9 million to professor Tamar Shirinian after it fired her for social media comments about activist Charlie Kirk. According to reports, Shirinian was dismissed following posts in which she described Kirk as a “disgusting psychopath” after his assassination. She later sued the university over the firing.
Fox News and the Washington Times report that a tentative settlement has been approved by the University of Tennessee system’s Board of Trustees’ Audit and Compliance Committee. The Washington Times adds that the committee considered the matter in a nonpublic session held after the board’s annual meeting, about eight months after Shirinian filed her lawsuit. The reported payment follows the university’s decision to terminate her employment over the statements. Yahoo News is listed among sources but does not provide additional details in the information provided. The accounts broadly agree on the amount of the settlement, the professor involved, and the circumstances leading to her termination and subsequent lawsuit.
