Professor fired over Charlie Kirk comments reaches settlement in University of Alabama lawsuit
Source: The Alabama Reflector via AL.com
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Professor fired over Charlie Kirk comments reaches settlement in University of Alabama lawsuit
Published: Jul. 07, 2026, 7:02 a.m.
By Andrea Tinker Alabama Reflector
The University of Alabama appears to have settled a lawsuit with a former employee who said she was fired for comments made about political commentator Charlie Kirk after his death last year. ... According to court records, Candice Hale, a former English professor at UA, reached a settlement for an undisclosed amount of money with the University of Alabama last month. ... A status hearing in the case was set for Monday.
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Hale’s attorney, Kira Fonteneau, said in an email Monday afternoon that she had no comment on the case. ... Hale also filed a lawsuit against Auburn University last year, claiming she was also fired from that institution where she was a lecturer, a non-tenure track position that can be renewed each year. ... That lawsuit was still pending as of Monday, according to court records.
In a Facebook post shortly after filing the suit against Alabama, Hale alleged the university fired her “without any formal investigation, hearing, or opportunity to respond” due to a “loss of confidence” in her teaching skills. ... “The right to speak freely without fear of government retaliation is the bedrock upon which our democracy stands,” the complaint against the University of Alabama said. “When Candice Hale spoke about the death of Charlie Kirk, a political figure—commentary on a matter of undeniable public concern—she was exercising the very freedom the First Amendment was designed to protect. Yet for this lawful expression, she was fired.”
According to the complaint, last September, Hale posted to her social media that she “does not mourn oppressors” in response to Kirk’s death. ... “I don’t give a damn about evil racist, fascist, misogynistic, homophobic, transphobic, xenophobic, mediocre, white men who claim to be Christian and then do everything Christ would not do on Earth,” the post said.
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Read more: https://www.al.com/news/2026/07/professor-fired-over-charlie-kirk-comments-reaches-settlement-in-university-of-alabama-lawsuit.html
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