Libs of Settlements

Tracking settlement payouts. DM me for submissions.

[Libs of Settlements @libs_settlement]

Link to the complaint:
https://t.co/Ovirg3sum3

Article about the settlement:
https://t.co/ulV8QlWkvs

ACLU's Statement:
https://t.co/HTBJoh7YZs

[Libs of Settlements @libs_settlement]

$250,000

BREAKING: Erika Santos, a former grant accountant at Eastern Florida State College, has secured a $250,000 settlement after being fired over her comments about Charlie Kirk.

On Sept 10, 2025, she shared a post about Charlie Kirk and also made other comments on her personal FB account.

About 8 days later, EFSC HR received an anonymous complaint about her posts. She was suspended the same day without pay and terminated on Oct 16, 2025.

In Nov 2025, with the help of ACLU Florida, she sued members of the Board of Trustees and the Associate VP of HR, alleging violations of her 1st and 14th Amendment rights.

Yesterday, the parties reached a $250,000 settlement, inclusive of damages, costs and attorney fees. She also agreed not to seek or apply for a position at the college again.

"Just because we got a resolution, the bigger fight doesn’t stop! The attack on our various rights as humans! And this is the energy I will carry forward with every issue that comes up", Santos said in a statement

[Libs of Settlements @libs_settlement]

https://t.co/Hxx1R5lffb

[Libs of Settlements @libs_settlement]

$145,000

BREAKING: Stacey Sumpter, a former special education associate in Iowa, settled her lawsuit against the school district for $145,000 after being fired over her Charlie Kirk comments.

She made those comments on her personal facebook account during her free time.

The following day, @LibsOfTiktok and other X accounts shared her comments, demanding that the school district fire her

She was place on leave and fired 2 days later without a hearing or an opportunity to present her side of the story.

Stacey sued the district in Oct 2025 alleging violations of her 1st amendment rights

The school district has agreed to pay her $145,000 to settle the lawsuit

[Libs of Settlements @libs_settlement]

https://t.co/dvpdXKekiK

[Libs of Settlements @libs_settlement]

BREAKING: Steve Aylward, a former Miamisburg band director, has sued the school district alleging 1st and 14th Amendment retaliation over his Charlie Kirk comments, which were amplified by @GuntherEagleman

He’s seeking compensatory & punitive damages from the district.

[This You? @Thiss_Youu]

Gunther got Steve suspended and nearly got him fired over this comment related to Kirk

Clearly, he wasn’t condoning violence. He later left the district in mid-2026

Now Steve is fighting back and seeking $850,000 from the school district for violating his First Amendment rights

[This You? @Thiss_Youu]

Gunther got Steve suspended and nearly got him fired over this comment related to Kirk

Clearly, he wasn’t condoning violence. He later left the district in mid-2026

Now Steve is fighting back and seeking $850,000 from the school district for violating his First Amendment rights

[Libs of Settlements @libs_settlement]

$125,000

Maria Ruhtenberg, an Iowa public defender, reached a $125,000 settlement after she was fired over facebook comments about Charlie Kirk.

On Sept 10, 2025, during her personal time and from her private facebook account, she posted "Live by the sword, die by the sword" and "You reap what you sow" after Kirk’s assassination. She disagreed with his views on the 2nd Amendment. She also said Kirk’s killer should go to prison.

She was fired 5 days later.

She appealed the termination and was reinstated on Nov 17, 2025, with full back pay and benefits.

She later sued the state alleging First Amendment violation.

In May 2026, both parties settled for $125,000.

[Libs of Settlements @libs_settlement]

$287,500

Michelle Mickens, a former English teacher at Oglethorpe County High School in Georgia, received nearly $287,500 after being placed on indefinite leave over a facebook post about Charlie Kirk.

On Sept 10, 2025, during her personal time and from her private account, she shared a quote from Charlie Kirk about the 2nd Amendment.

She later responded to a reply by saying Kirk was "a horrible person, a fascist full of hate" and that "the world is a bit safer without him," while also stating that she did not condone the violence against him.

On Sept 12, a former high school classmate shared screenshots of her post on X and wrote, "The Georgia bitch is next."

@WomenPostingLs also posted about her and encouraged followers to contact the school.

The next day, school officials suggested she delete the post and apologize. She declined and said she wanted to consult a lawyer. She was sent home early and later placed on indefinite paid leave.

On Sep 29, the district told her to resign voluntarily or be terminated.

On Oct 20, she sued the school, alleging a First Amendment violation.

In June 2026, the parties settled for nearly $287,500 and Mickens agreed not to seek employment with the district again.

[Libs of Settlements @libs_settlement]

$65,000

BREAKING: Haley Massung, another Florida FWC worker fired over a social media post about Charlie Kirk, has been awarded $65,000, according to @TDOnline.

In Sept 2025, she posted "rest in p!ss" in a private Facebook group in response to another user’s post about Kirk.

An anonymous person later filed 2 complaints, saying "the hate has to stop! Do not let someone who represents you, celebrate a death as if the individual did not matter!"

Her comment, meanwhile, did not attract any wider public attention.

On Sept 18, she was fired.

She sued the agency in June 2026.

On Aug 13, 2026, the parties reached a $65,000 settlement: $38,500 for the loss of her job, $16,500 in back pay and $10,000 in attorney fees. As part of the agreement, she agreed not to seek or accept future employment with the agency

"A more just result would have been the immediate reinstatement of FWC employees after the agency violated their First Amendment rights," said her attorney, Gary Edinger.

[Libs of Settlements @libs_settlement]

$500,000

Darren Michael, a theatre professor at ASPU, received $500,000 and was reinstated after being fired for sharing a Charlie Kirk headline.

On Sept 10, 2025, he shared a 2023 Newsweek headline quoting Kirk’s comments on gun deaths and the 2nd Amendment.

Two days later, Senator Blackburn pressured the university by sharing a screenshot of his post, along with his photo and bio and tagging the school.

APSU fired him the same day.

On Sept 18, the university walked back the termination and shifted it to suspension as they acknowledged that due process had not been followed, while still initiating formal termination proceedings.

In Dec 2025, Michael settled with the university for $500,000, counseling reimbursement and reinstatement, along with a public statement acknowledging the school’s failure to follow its termination process.

However, the matter did not end there.

On Aug 7, 2026, Michael sued @VoteMarsha alleging violations of his 1st and 14th Amendment rights.

The lawsuit alleges Blackburn "crossed" into "impermissible coercion" through public statements, private correspondence and private meetings, as well as "explicit and implicit threats" of sanctions against the university unless it fired Michael.

He is seeking a court declaration that Blackburn violated his rights, along with damages including lost wages and punitive damages.

[Libs of Settlements @libs_settlement]

$145,000

Melisa Crook, a former high school English teacher from Creston, Iowa, received $145,000 in a settlement after the school district moved to terminate her over a comment about Charlie Kirk.

On Sept 10, 2025, she replied to a family member’s Facebook post about Kirk, "He is a terrible human being … terrible. I do not wish death on anyone, but him not being here is a blessing," during her personal time from her personal account.

Within hours, @IowaStandard published the comment and identified Crook as a Creston teacher.

The next day, Crook apologized for her comment, saying she did "not wish anyone death." She further clarified, "I do not condone violence or the killing of people you disagree with politically or otherwise. That was never my intent."

More than an hour later, @LibsOfTikTok shared the comment, identified Crook and called for her to be fired.

The district received more than 111 emails and 140 phone calls over the controversy. One caller told the district, "We would like her head on a platter."

Crook was placed on paid administrative leave and the Creston superintendent later recommended that the school board terminate her teaching contract.

Crook sued the superintendent, school board and other district officials for violating her First Amendment rights. She won a preliminary injunction blocking the district from firing her over the post.

The parties settled the lawsuit for $145,000 in April 2026. Under the settlement, Crook remained on paid leave through the end of the school year, then resigned with a clean employment record and received more than $82,000 in salary and benefits.

[Libs of Settlements @libs_settlement]

$225,000

Suzanne Swierc, a former Ball State University administrator, was awarded $225,000 after being fired over a facebook post about Charlie Kirk. The university also spent nearly $500,000 defending the case.

On Sept 10, 2025, on her personal time and from a private account, she posted that Kirk’s death was "a tragedy," that she felt for his wife and children and that she could "pray for his soul." She also wrote that his death was "a reflection of the violence, fear, and hatred he sowed" while stressing that this "does not excuse his death."

However, on Sept 12, @LibsOfTikTok shared the post, claiming it justified the assassination. Elon Musk, @robbystarbuck and others amplified it. Indiana AG @AGToddRokita called the comments "vile", questioned her fitness for leadership, featured the post on his official portal & later celebrated her firing.

Swierc received death threats, including one that listed her home address. BSU staff who fielded the resulting calls said they had been threatened with violence and felt uncomfortable being on campus.

"I do not regret the post I made and I would not take back what I said," she later stated.

On Sept 17, Ball State fired her, citing "significant disruption" to university operations.

On Sept 22, backed by the ACLU of Indiana, she sued the university president for violating her First Amendment rights.

On May 26, 2026, the ACLU announced that Swierc and BSU had reached a $225,000 settlement. She said it felt "a little bit like closing the lid on a coffin."

The university spent nearly $500,000 in legal fees in addition to the settlement.

[Libs of Settlements @libs_settlement]

$835,000

Larry Bushart, a former police officer from Tennessee, was awarded $835,000 after being jailed for 37 days over a social media meme.

In Sept 2025, following Kirk’s assassination, Bushart posted a meme on Facebook quoting Trump’s response to a school shooting at Perry High School in Iowa: "We have to get over it."

On Sept 22, he was arrested and charged with making "threats of mass violence on school property"

Sheriff Nick Weems, who directed the arrest, claimed Bushart posted the meme "to indicate or make the audience think it was referencing our Perry High School" in Tennessee even though he and his investigators knew from the start that the meme referred to the 2024 Perry High School shooting in Iowa, not the local school.

He also said it caused "mass hysteria" as parents, teachers and students believed it referred to a "hypothetical shooting" at the local school but he did not present evidence to support those claims.

Bushart’s bond was set at a staggering $2 million and he spent 37 days in jail.

In Oct 2025, Perry County released him from jail following nationwide outrage and media scrutiny. He lost his post-retirement job and missed both his wedding anniversary and the birth of his grandchild.

He later teamed up with @TheFIREOrg and sued the sheriff, the investigator, and the county for violating his First, Fourth and Fourteenth Amendment rights.

On May 14, 2026, the parties settled the case for $835,000. "I am pleased my First Amendment rights have been vindicated," said Larry Bushart.

[Libs of Settlements @libs_settlement]

@CDS949 https://t.co/IBDxFAKdXC

[Libs of Settlements @libs_settlement]

$485,000

Brittney Brown, a skilled biologist who worked for Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission for about 7 years, was awarded nearly half a million dollars after being fired over a social media post.

On Sept 10, 2025, while on vacation, she reposted a satirical post about whales feeling indifferent to Kirk's assassination on her private Instagram story.

On Sept 14, accounts including @LibsOfTikTok and @EricLDaugh reposted a screenshot of the story to their large audiences. The post quickly went viral, leading to calls for Brown’s termination. Within 24 hours, FWC fired her.

Brown sued the agency on Sept 30, arguing that her First Amendment rights had been violated. In her lawsuit, she stated that the post "didn’t condone Mr. Kirk’s killing nor does it call for further violence."

In May 2026, the parties reached a settlement under which Brown was awarded $485,000 and agreed not to seek reemployment with FWC.

Her case is not the only one involving the agency. Two other employees who were fired over posts related to Kirk’s murder have also sued FWC, claiming their speech was protected under the First Amendment.

[Libs of Settlements @libs_settlement]

@TomG61356162 She made the comment on a friend’s private FB post, during her personal time (meaning: outside of work)

[Libs of Settlements @libs_settlement]

Tamar Shirinian, a former assistant professor of anthropology at the University of Tennessee at Knoxville, could receive $1.9 million in settlement.

After Charlie Kirk was shot and killed, Shirinian made a crass Facebook comment on a friend’s private post during her personal time.

Later, figures like @robbystarbuck, @tedcruz and others shared the facebook screenshots and rallied their followers into making more than 100 calls and emails to the university demanding she be fired.

She later deleted the comment and apologized in a letter to the chancellor. She called her words "ineloquent and heartless", said the post was "insensitive" and condemned political violence while insisting she did not endorse it

The university officially fired her in Feb 2026, choosing not to protect her free speech.

Tamar sued the university, claimed her First Amendment rights were violated and she is set to receive $1.9 million.