Professor fired over Charlie Kirk post could receive $1.9M in settlement
Key takeaways
- Shirinian would not be reinstated to her former position as an anthropology professor as part of the settlement, which was OK d by the full UT Board of Trustees on Tuesday.
- A lawsuit was first filed against the university in October, and Shirinian was officially terminated from her position on February 11 for misconduct.
- Last month, a Tennessee man who was jailed for more than a month over a Facebook post he made about the assassination agreed to an $835,000 settlement.
Why this matters: political developments that affect policy direction and public trust.
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) – University of Tennessee System officials have approved a tentative agreement that would pay a former UT-Knoxville professor who was fired over comments she made in the wake of political activist Charlie Kirk s assassination nearly $2 million.
The Audit and Compliance Committee of the UT Board of Trustees on Monday voted to approve the settlement that would pay Dr. Tamar Shirinian $1.9 million to end litigation claiming that her First Amendment rights were violated when she was placed on leave last year over comments made on her personal Facebook account after Kirk s murder.
Shirinian would not be reinstated to her former position as an anthropology professor as part of the settlement, which was OK d by the full UT Board of Trustees on Tuesday. It still must receive approval from Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee and Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti.