A year after Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk was fatally shot at Utah Valley University, dozens of legal cases involving workers fired or disciplined for social media posts about his death remain pending or have concluded. While some former employees of government institutions have won settlements, others in the private sector have reported significant professional struggles after being dismissed.
Kirk was killed on Sept. 10, 2025. In the aftermath, Vice President JD Vance encouraged citizens to identify critics and contact their employers, while some state lawmakers proposed defunding universities that did not discipline staff for their comments.
Settlements for those fired from public institutions have reached six and seven figures. The University of Tennessee paid anthropologist Tamar Shirinian $1.9 million to resolve a lawsuit after she was fired for a post stating the world was "better off" without Kirk. In Florida, biologist Brittney Brown received $485,000 from the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, while Austin Peay State University paid Darren Michael $500,000. In contrast, Gerald Bourguet, a former reporter for PHNX Sports, noted his at-will status left him with little legal recourse after he was fired for calling Kirk an "evil man."
According to a Reuters tally, more than 600 people were fired or disciplined by November 2025. For some, the financial impact has been severe; Bourguet reported he had to sell his home and relocate. Conversely, for public sector workers, the scale of settlements has drawn attention to the use of taxpayer funds; Brown noted her payout was roughly 12 times her $40,000 annual salary.
Republican State Rep. Jordan Pace argued that shaming those who celebrate assassination is an appropriate social function. Critics have suggested these actions contradict conservative opposition to "cancel culture."
Dozens of lawsuits remain pending in various U.S. courts. These cases test the boundaries of free-speech protections for government employees versus the rights of private employers. While some individuals, like Karen Attiah, were ordered to be rehired with back pay by an arbitrator, others like Shirinian have agreed as part of their settlements never to reapply to their former institutions. Future court dates for the remaining lawsuits have not been publicly specified.