Overview

• Filed in federal court, the case names President Geoffrey Mearns and alleges Ball State unconstitutionally terminated Suzanne Swierc on Sept. 17.
• The complaint says Swierc wrote on Sept. 10 in a private Facebook post that Kirk’s death was tragic while calling it a reflection of harm he spread.
• A screenshot pairing the post with Swierc’s Ball State listing was shared on Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita’s Eyes on Education portal and widely online, followed by harassment and threats.
• The ACLU says Swierc was fired in a brief meeting without counsel, and a letter signed by Mearns cited the Facebook post as the sole reason with no appeal allowed.
• Ball State confirmed the termination and pointed to precedent permitting action over disruptive employee speech, while the suit seeks reinstatement, record expungement, damages and attorney fees.