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A landscape supervisor at Auburn University has sued college leadership in federal court after he says he was fired for a post responding to the assassination of right-wing activist Charlie Kirk. In his complaint against Auburn University, Kevin Courtwright says that his firing violated his First Amendment rights. “The leaders at Auburn University did not like what Kevin and other employees had to say,” the complaint reads. “Auburn’s president called their comments insensitive and terminated their employment. Some of Kevin’s comments were insensitive, offensive and inflammatory—but that means they were exactly the type of speech the First Amendment protects." On Sept. 10, the day Kirk died after being shot while speaking at a campus event at Utah Valley University, Courtwright shared his thoughts in a post to Facebook, according to court documents. “One fascist down; a whole socio-political movement go,” Courtwright wrote on his repost of a post that said Kirk’s death would be used to push further division between political parties. “FAFO nazi trash.” Courtwright later reposted additional text discussing gun reform. “No one should be shot, Charlie Kirk included,” the post reads. “But let’s be real: Republican leaders crying crocodile tears about gun violence while BLOCKING every piece of gun reform are the reason it keeps happening.” Nearly one week later, on Sept. 15, Courtwright was called to the facilities human resources office to talk with Clarence Stewart from Auburn Security and Compliance, according to the complaint. In that meeting, Courtwright says Stewart told him there had been a student complaint about the Facebook post he had made, and he questioned Courtwright on whether he had any violent intent with his post. Courtwright says he told Stewart he did not. That same day, Chris Hardman, coordinator for behavioral threat assessment and management, and Scott Forehand, director of compliance investigations and security, approached Courtwright’s wife, Kim, who works in human resources at Auburn’s School of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences, and asked her what her husband would do if he came upon a tabling event for Turning Point USA, according to the complaint. Kim says she assured the men that her husband was not a threat to anyone. On Sept. 16, Courtwright went to meet with the Director of Facilities Human Resources, Loren Winn, and explained to her that there was a misunderstanding about the intent of his Facebook post, according to the complaint. He asked Winn if he was going to be fired, and she told him that Auburn tends not to move drastically, and she was inclined to think he would not be fired, but there was a chance, Courtwright says. Minutes after the meeting, Stewart called Courtwright and told him that he should take down his posts about Kirk for “damage control” and lock down his Facebook so others could not view it. Courtwright did as he was instructed, according to the complaint, but was placed on administrative leave on Sept. 17 after another meeting with Stewart, Winn, Director of Landscaping Services Justin Sutton, and VP of Facilities Management Jim Carroll. That same day, Auburn University President Christopher Roberts announced in a post to X that the school was terminating some employees for making social media posts that were “hurtful, insensitive and completely at odds with Auburn’s values.” Five days later, Carroll called Courtwright and told him he was terminated. The next day, Sept. 23, Courtwright received a certified letter stating he was terminated for violating Auburn’s University Employee Relations Policy. “After a thorough review of all relevant information, it has been determined that your actions are in direct violation of Auburn University’s Personnel Policies and Procedures (Group I offenses),” the letter read, according to court documents. “Group I violations include conduct regarded as major misconduct, behavior that is grossly offensive or immoral, and a gross disregard of obligations to the University.” According to the complaint, Roberts later attempted to retract his statement. “Roberts told the Auburn Plainsman, the student newspaper, that he regretted some elements of his statement, which caused confusion over ‘offensive speech vs threatening speech,’” the complaint says. But Courtwright’s complaint argues that his speech was not threatening, and that he had no power to affect any student’s education as landscape supervisor. “However ill-considered [Roberts] perceived [Courtwright’s] comments to be, his comments did not render him unfit for his job as a Landscape Supervisor,” the complaint reads. “Plaintiff’s Facebook posts were protected speech under the First Amendment to the United States Constitution.” Courtwright suit names Roberts, Winn, and Carroll. Representatives for Auburn University have declined to comment on pending litigation. More charlie kirk Elon Musk issued dire warning as he reunited with Trump at Charlie Kirk memorial, influencer says Country star tells Alabama concertgoers people celebrating Charlie Kirk’s death can ‘get the f... out’ Alabama city removes signs honoring Miss America turned politician who called Charlie Kirk a ‘vile’ racist Trump ripped for ‘insane’ assassination ‘bragging’ at Charlie Kirk Medal of Freedom ceremony Trump family members coming to Auburn for Charlie Kirk’s Turning Point USA event Courtwright is not the only former Auburn employee suing the university. Candice Hale, a former educator at Auburn University and the University of Alabama, filed a lawsuit in federal court last week alleging a similar violation of her First Amendment rights after she was terminated following a post about Kirk. “Both institutions have tried to silence my voice,” reads a Facebook post from Hale. “I reject these efforts. I remain steadfast in defending my right to speak truth to power and to challenge white supremacy, misogyny, and injustice—especially within academic spaces."
