Ball State University agreed to a $225,000 settlement after an ACLU lawsuit alleged the university retaliated against an employee for criticizing conservative activist Charlie Kirk on a private Facebook post. The settlement was announced in connection with a federal lawsuit filed on behalf of Suzanne Swierc. Swierc, formerly director of health promotion and advocacy at Ball State, was fired last September, with the university citing “significant disruption” tied to the post. The ACLU argued Swierc was speaking as a private citizen on a matter of public concern, placing the action outside government retaliation protections. Ball State President Geoffrey Mearns defended the decision, saying backlash threatened enrollment and fundraising, while implying the settlement amount was substantially lower than the cost of continued litigation. The case joins other reported legal settlements tied to firings over Kirk-related social media activity.