Georgia teacher reaches nearly $300,000 settlement in Charlie Kirk Facebook post lawsuit
The agreement includes about $270,420 for emotional distress and $17,080 in attorney fees, and Mickens will not seek future district employment.
- On Friday, July 3, 2026, former Oglethorpe County School District teacher Michelle Mickens settled her First Amendment lawsuit, receiving approximately $287,500 for emotional distress and legal fees without the district admitting wrongdoing.
- The litigation followed Mickens' September 2025 suspension after she criticized Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk on her private Facebook account, prompting the district to place her on indefinite leave.
- Represented by the Southern Poverty Law Center, Mickens agreed to dismiss her claims of unconstitutional retaliation with prejudice and bar herself from seeking future employment with the district.
- Senior supervising attorney Sam Boyd of the Southern Poverty Law Center stated the agreement reaffirms public school employees' 'constitutionally protected right to Free Speech' when speaking as private citizens.
- Educators across the country have faced similar disciplinary actions for comments on Kirk, with settlements in comparable legal challenges ranging from nearly $300,000 to $1.9 million as districts face rising litigation costs.
22 Articles
22 Articles
Daily Post-Athenian
Schools, counties losing thousands after firings over Kirk comments
(The Center Square) – Schools and government entities in Georgia and Tennessee are paying large sums of money to settle lawsuits with educators fired because of their comments about Charlie Kirk, the slain Turning Point USA founder.
GA Teacher Forced Out Over Kirk Post Awarded $300K
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports: The Oglethorpe County School District paid nearly $300,000 to settle a lawsuit with a former Georgia teacher of the year finalist stemming from a social media post about the killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk. High school English teacher Michelle Mickens was one of several educators across the country who were removed from the classroom for a post related to Kirk’s 2025 death. In a lawsuit fil…
alabamareflector.com
Florida PhoenixUniversity of Alabama appears to settle with instructor fired after Charlie Kirk’s death
A sign on the side of Bryant-Denny Stadium at the University of Alabama as seen March 28, 2026. According to court records, UA reached a settlement with a former English professor for an undisclosed amount of money after she alleged she was fired for a social media post she made about right-wing commentator Charlie Kirk's death last year. (Andrea Tinker/Alabama Reflector)The University of Alabama appears to have settled a lawsuit with a former e…
Teacher's Career Hinges On First Amendment Battle After Her Firing Over Charlie Kirk Comments
Kelly Brock-Sanchez, a former Clay County public school teacher fired for making controversial Facebook comments about conservative activist Charlie Kirk, is fighting to save her career after her private posts went viral. She filed a federal lawsuit claiming the punishment violates her First Amendment rights. An administrative hearing will determine whether she permanently loses her Florida teaching certificate. The post Teacher’s Career Hinges …
Georgia Teacher Reaches Settlement After Calling Charlie Kirk 'Fascist'
A former Georgia teacher, Michelle Mickens, has reached a settlement with the Oglethorpe County School District after it took action against her for a post about the death of Charlie Kirk. “I think it’s worth it. I think it’s worth to have a cost of, unfortunately, some gun deaths every single year so that we can have the Second Amendment to protect our other God-given rights.- Charlie Kirk,” Mickens’s initial post read, quoting Kirk. She went o…
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