(MUNCIE) - Ball State University has agreed to pay a former employee $225,000 to settle a First Amendment lawsuit connected to a social media post about conservative commentator Charlie Kirk.
The lawsuit was filed by the ACLU of Indiana on behalf of former Ball State employee Suzanne Swierc, who previously served as director of health promotion and advocacy at the university.
According to the lawsuit, Swierc was fired after making a private Facebook post about Kirk's death. The post was later shared publicly through screenshots.
The ACLU argued Swierc was speaking as a private citizen on a matter of public concern and said Ball State violated her First Amendment rights by terminating her employment.
The settlement agreement was finalized late last week.
In a statement released after the settlement, Ball State President Geoffrey Mearns said he still believes the university had the legal authority to terminate Swierc's employment.
Mearns said the decision was based on what he described as ongoing disruption to the university's mission and harm to employees following the circulation of the social media post.
He also stated the settlement does not vindicate Swierc's claims and said he believed he had a professional responsibility to act.