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Posted on 11/15/2025 9:50:32 AM PST by simpson96
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WSMV) - A former assistant dean at a Tennessee university has filed lawsuit claiming her rights were violated when she was fired for her comments on Charlie Kirk’s assassination.
Laura Sosh-Lightsy was fired by Middle Tennessee State University in September after posting the following message in the wake of the far-right activists’ murder: “Looks like ol’ Charlie spoke his fate into existence. Hate begets hate. ZERO sympathy.”
Sosh-Lightsy‘s attorneys said in the suit filed this week that her First Amendment rights were violated. She wants a jury trial and financial compensation for damages.
The former administrator’s post sparked controversy with some calling her reaction “callous.” Tennessee Sen. Marsha Blackburn caught wind of the mixed reactions and condemned her message, urging the university to remove her.
MTSU announced Sosh-Lightsy’s firing after Blackburn’s reaction, saying her comments “were inconsistent with our values and have undermined the university’s credibility and reputation with our students, faculty, staff, and the community at large.”
Sosh-Lightsy was one of many in public and private positions fired over their reactions to the conservative speaker’s death.
Two Tennessee teachers have also filed free speech suits after being punished over their comments on Kirk’s assassination.
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“in the wake of the far-right activists’ murder”
Everyone is far-right to a communist.
Why would she post something like that? In what world is that an appropriate comment? What if she said something similar after 9/11? People who spoke trash about George Floyd got the axe. Why is this situation any different? Do you really want a work colleague and community leader who thinks in these terms? And, by the way, agreee or disagree with Kirk, he was not hateful. He simply had an opinion. Did she ever even listen to him? Sheesh.
I’m so old I remember when communists like her told me that free speech didn’t mean free of consequences
I miss the old-time liberals.
Old-time liberal: I do not agree with what you have to say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it.
Modern liberal: I do not agree with of what you have to say, so I hope you die.
There is no place in school employment for someone who celebrates a school shooting. Period.
Libs are so stupid. Free speech doesn’t mean speech without consequences.
Lefties can’t keep their yaps shut about politics to save their lives. I see it everywhere. At almost every non-political social gathering, some stupid leftist will always find a way to wedge their idiotic politics into a conversation and try to start an argument.
Fortunately, in my neck of the woods, people mostly tend to just ignore them, even after they make repeated attempts.
Did they govt fire her? If not she has no case.
I was concerned about the free speech defense when the firings happened. The firing needs to be along the lines of who you want teaching your children. What the legal basis is someone needs to spend some time thinking about. I know this, in all the jobs I had, if I suddenly became famous for something that could bring negative attention to my employer I’d be gone the next day. Also, a fifth-grade teacher friend showed me an email the school board sent to all employees that said if they said anything on social media that was “controversial” they could be fired. The board recommended that everyone delete their social media accounts and make no further posts. So, this school board did not believe their employees had free speech, not if they wanted a job.
She has the reasoning abilities of a spoiled 13 year old. I hope a more mature jury schools her.
Then it isn't free.
Other than the usual (and obvious) laws against making death threats, inciting a panic, or committing libel, posting an opinion used to be recognized by all of us as protected speech.
The Left may have turned against free speech first, but the Right wasn't far behind.
You can say whatever you want, but nobody is forced to provide you with a forum to do it.
I’d like her to keep her job but remove ALL federal funding of EVERY kind, even student loans for that university.
Looks like SuperKaren! Vicious biznatch.
Agreed.
And if a private company like LinkedIn (where she posted her comment) decided to remove her profile because of this comment, I wouldn't have a problem with this.
How we've gone from this to cheering the termination of her employment would have been, at one time, absolutely repulsive to libertarians and conservatives.
Trevor Tomesh, assistant professor of Computer, Information and Data Science (CIDS) at the University of Wisconsin – River Falls gets to the heart of the matter:
--link
Looks like ol’ Laura spoke her fate into existence. Hate begets hate. ZERO sympathy.
The school (the principal) doesn’t want to be associated with this kind of hate expressed by one of its agents/employees. Agency law applies here.
Sure she had a “moral turpitude” clause in her employment contract, and expressing flippant happiness over a grisly death is ghoulish.
“Did they govt fire her? If not she has no case.”
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I’m not a lawyer, but I did stay at a Holiday Inn last night. I think she might have a case if the school gets any federal funding.
Looks like an AWFL.
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