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The Tennessee Conservative [By Olivia Lupia] –
A former employee of the Tennessee Department of Commerce & Insurance (TDCI) is now suing the department’s director after she was fired in September for a social media comment following the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, alleging her First Amendment rights were violated.
Monica Meeks was terminated from her position at TDCI as a Financial Services Investigator with Commissioner Carter Lawrence confirming the internal investigation revealed the employee linked herself to the department over social media and “revealed bias and disregard toward the very people she was tasked with serving.”
While the initial TDCI statement on the matter did not reveal the identity or comments of the employee, the information has now become public with Meeks’ federal lawsuit against Lawrence.
Reportedly, Meeks made a critical comment about Kirk on a friend’s Facebook post, saying, “The way you tap dance for a White Supremacist should be studied!”. She maintains the comment was made from her personal account and was never meant to leave her personal social circle.
Meeks is being represented by the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE), a free-speech advocacy legal firm which places a “special emphasis on defending the individual rights of students and faculty members on our nation’s campuses, including freedom of speech, freedom of association, due process, legal equality, religious liberty, and sanctity of conscience.”
The former government employee served 20 years in the Army and as a uniformed officer in the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation before joining TDCI in 2016.
Her attorneys state she excelled in her job, “receiving performance ratings of ‘Exceeds Expectations’ in her last five reviews” and had no prior disciplinary actions against her. She is also politically active, including a run for State Representative in District 68 (Clarksville) as an Independent in 2022.
According to the filed complaint, the legal team is arguing that Commissioner Lawrence “did not claim Meeks’ comment caused any disruption of any kind to the work of the Department, and there was no disruption” and that he fired her “because he disagreed with her personal views stated online”, thereby violating her “clearly established First Amendment right to speak as a private citizen on matters of public concern.”
It also argues that “Meeks has suffered irreparable harm because of Lawrence’s termination, as it likely precludes her from future employment with the Tennessee state government, thereby foreclosing her from the career she has successfully pursued for a decade.”
The suit is asking the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee to find that Lawrence retaliated against Meeks, making her “entitled to compensatory and punitive damages from Lawrence in his individual capacity”. It does not record a specific amount for monetary damages, instead leaving the number to the Court and Jury to determine.
Punitive damages against Lawrence “for his reckless and callous disregard for Meeks’ First Amendment rights” and attorney’s fees/costs are also being sought. Finally, the suit is requesting an injunction reinstating Meeks to her former position and “a declaratory judgement that Lawrence unconstitutionally retaliated against Meeks because of speech protected under the First and Fourteenth Amendments.”
“You may disagree with Monica’s take on Charlie Kirk. But letting a few angry individuals get a public employee fired for off-the-clock speech, even when it has no impact on the workplace, will inevitably boomerang back on people with views you do support,” FIRE Staff Attorney Cary Davis said. “When public employees are forced into silence for fear of offending someone on the internet, we all lose.”
“Our democracy suffers when public employees fear to voice what they are free to think,” said FIRE senior attorney Greg Greubel. “There are more than 23 million government employees across the country — and they can’t be fired simply because their boss or folks online don’t like the opinions they share off the clock.”
I’ve never backed down from a fight in my life, and I don’t plan to start now,” said Meeks. “I took an oath to defend the Constitution. Now, it’s time to stand up for it again.”
Meeks is not the only individual to sue her employer over terminations for Charlie Kirk remarks.
Currently, a Williamson County teacher is suing the district after her suspension, and an MTSU Assistant Dean and an Assistant Professor have both filed federal suits against their respective higher education institutions.
About the Author: Olivia Lupia is a political refugee from Colorado who now calls Tennessee home. A proud follower of Christ, she views all political happenings through a Biblical lens and aims to utilize her knowledge and experience to educate and equip others. Olivia is an outspoken conservative who has run for local office, managed campaigns, and been highly involved with state & local GOPs, state legislatures, and other grassroots organizations and movements. Olivia can be reached at olivia@tennesseeconservativenews.com.
