A university professor who trashed Charlie Kirk after he was assassinated struck gold with a settlement in a lawsuit accusing her employer of trampling on her constitutional rights when she was disciplined.
University of Tennessee, Knoxville assistant professor Tamar Shirinian will receive $1.9 million to settle the suit, which was filed in October 2025 after she was punished over the social media post smearing the slain Turning Point USA founder as a “disgusting psychopath” after he was shot during a speech at Utah Valley University on September 10.
She was put on administrative leave by the university after the post, which said: “The world is better off without him in it. Even those who are claiming to be sad for his wife and kids….like, his kids are better off living in a world without a disgusting psychopath like him and his wife, well, she’s a sick f**k for marrying him so I don’t care about her feelings.”
Meet Tamar Shirinian. Tamar is a professor at @UTKnoxville. Someone sent this horrific post to my DM’s. UTK must take action. Email: [email protected] to ask President @randyboyd to act now. Also, why do we even have queer theory or queer anthropology specialists at… pic.twitter.com/3mcxTzettr
— Robby Starbuck (@robbystarbuck) September 14, 2025
The lawsuit claimed that her First Amendment rights had been violated.
Shirinian later apologized for the offensive post, saying it was “insensitive” and “uncharacteristic of me as a person.” She was fired on February 11 and will not be reinstated, according to Fox News, which cited local reporting on the matter.
“Your words celebrated a gruesome murder, which horrifically took place on a college campus similar to our own, and then went on to callously demean the grief and loss felt by the widow and young children of the victim while also mocking any grief felt by others who sympathized with the surviving family,” UT Chancellor Donde Plowman wrote in a letter to Shirinian informing her of the termination.
“I am very pleased with the outcome,” Shirinian said in a statement to 10News.
“My client is pleased that the parties reached a resolution,” Shirinian’s attorney Robb Bigelow told Knox News in an email. “Litigation is always difficult, and we’re grateful to everyone on both sides who worked diligently to bring this matter to a close.
“The UT Board of Trustees’ Audit & Compliance Committee met on Monday, June 29, and approved that university leaders may move forward with the proposed settlement of no reinstatement and pay Shirinian $1.9 million,” 10News reported. “To become official, the litigation proposal must also be approved by the full UT Board of Trustees and then the state.”
“The Board of Trustees met on Tuesday, June 30, and approved the tentative settlement. Now, it will move forward to the state, seeking approval from Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti and Gov. Bill Lee,” according to the outlet.
Kirk’s gruesome murder sparked an outpouring of celebration from leftists, who swarmed social media to share their ugliest thoughts after the 31-year-old father of two was murdered in cold blood during a stop on his “American Comeback Tour” as his horrified family looked on.
“We believe the resolution reflects the seriousness of the issues while allowing everyone to move forward,” said Bigelow. “We wish the University nothing but success in the future.”
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