Biologist and retired police officer win huge monetary settlements for ugly aftermath of Charlie Kirk comments

Charlie Kirk

When conservative activist Charlie Kirk was shot and killed last year, his followers and supporters promised to ruin the lives of those they felt made fun of his death. They were successful in getting many people fired. But as it turns out, their actions are creating positive monetary repercussions for those caught up in their witch hunt.

From The Hill:

Florida officials have reached a settlement in which they will pay $485,000 to a biologist who was fired from her state job over a social media post criticizing conservative influencer Charlie Kirk after his assassination. Brittney Brown lost her job at the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) in September after reposting a message to her private Instagram account claiming Kirk did not care about children being shot in their classrooms.

The post read: “The whales are deeply saddened to hear about the shooting of Charlie Kirk, haha just kidding, they care exactly as much as Charlie Kirk cared about children being shot in their classrooms, which is to say not at all.” Brown’s repost circulated on social media after it was picked up by popular conservatives on social media, and she was fired from her job, according to a lawsuit she later filed.

 In a settlement agreement Brown signed on Thursday, Florida officials will pay Brown $485,000, including $235,000 to cover the loss of her job, $40,000 in back pay and $210,000 to cover her legal fees, USA Today reported. 

 According to The Huffington Post, one social media site in general may have had a lot to do with Brown's firing:

 Prior to her termination, Brown’s repost caught the attention of the popular right-wing social media page “Libs of TikTok,” which shared a screenshot of the repost alongside a screenshot of her LinkedIn profile on X. 

 “She allegedly posted this disgusting message mocking Charlie’s ass*ssination. Your tax dollars pay her salary. She should be fired ASAP,” the right-wing page wrote. 

Needless to say, many people have returned to that September 2025 post to mock Libs of TikTok by posting news of the recent settlement.

Brown's $485,000 settlement comes on the heels of another settlement, this time in favor of a retired police officer in Tennessee who will receive an $835,000 settlement after getting put in jail for 37 days after a Facebook post he wrote about Kirk's shooting.

Larry Bushart, a former officer from Tennessee who was arrested over a Facebook comment he posted about a pro-Kirk vigil in September 2025. The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE) announced the settlement in a news release on Wednesday, May 20. Bushart shared a meme under a post promoting the event in Perry County, Tennessee. The picture showed President Donald Trump with the quote, "We have to get over it," referencing Trump's response after a January 2024 school shooting in Perry, Iowa. 

 Authorities accused Bushart of making threats of mass violence, claiming the post could be interpreted as a threat against Perry County High School. Bushart spent 37 days in jail on a $2 million bond before prosecutors dropped the charges in late October 2025. Bushart later filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against Perry County, Sheriff Nick Weems, and county investigator Jason Morrow, accusing them of violating his First and Fourth Amendment rights. 

 . . . Bushart's attorneys said he lost his post-retirement medical transportation job while jailed, along with missing his anniversary and the birth of his grandchild.

Brown and Bushart are two of a large number of people filing lawsuits after getting fired for comments made after Kirk's death. And some, just like Brown and Bushart, are winning.

Earlier this year, Darren Michael, an associate professor of acting and directing at Austin Peay State University in Tennessee, received a $500,000 settlement and his job back after getting fired in September 2025 for sharing a Newsweek article which quoted Kirk about gun violence.