UT System settles $1.9 million lawsuit with ex-professor

The University of Tennessee System has agreed to pay $1.9 million to settle a lawsuit brought by a former professor who was fired for comments she made online following the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk. The system's Board of Trustees approved the settlement on Monday, June 29, 2026, though it still requires final approval from Tennessee Governor Bill Lee and Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti.

The settlement concludes a legal battle with former assistant anthropology professor Tamar Shirinian, who was terminated from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, in February 2026. The dispute began in September 2025, shortly after Kirk was killed during an event at Utah Valley University. In a personal Facebook post, Shirinian wrote that the world was better off without Kirk, called him a "disgusting psychopath," and made derogatory comments about his wife.

University officials placed Shirinian on administrative leave soon after the post circulated online. She later apologized in a letter to UT Knoxville Chancellor Donde Plowman, calling her comments "insensitive," "ineloquent," and "uncharacteristic" while stating they did not endorse violence. Despite the...