Image Credit: Sen. Marsha Blackburn / Facebook & LinkedIn
Tennessee Conservative News [By Paula Gomes] –
Republican nominee for Tennessee Governor and current United States Senator Marsha Blackburn is being sued by a fired and later reinstated Austin Peay State University (APSU) professor.
Darren Michael, an associate professor of acting and directing, was initially fired by APSU last September for sharing a degrading social media post about the assassination of Charlie Kirk.
Michael was later reinstated and suspended pending termination when university administration admitted it had not followed proper procedures for firing tenured staff and by the end of 2025 he was fully reinstated to his position within APSU.
At the beginning of the year, APSU announced they would be paying half a million dollars to Michael as part of a settlement agreement.
According to the settlement, the Clarksville university agreed to issue a statement that acknowledged regret for not following tenure termination processes and distributing it to faculty, staff and students.
Michael claims that Blackburn used her position as senator to pressure APSU to fire him over his social media post about Kirk, unlawfully suppressing his First Amendment rights.
The suit alleges that Blackburn’s actions placed Michael and his family in severe emotional distress and fear for their physical safety and demands a trial by jury.
Michael is seeking a declaration that Blackburn violated his constitutional rights regarding the First and Fourteenth amendments as well as Injunctive Relief that would prevent further retaliation or interference in his employment status at APSU.
The lawsuit also requests that Michael be compensated for lost employment benefits and wages, expenses for medical and counselling services, damages for emotional distress and mental anguish, reputational harm, as well as other economic and non-economic damages as the result for Blackburn’s conduct.
A spokesperson for Blackburn’s press office said that the suit was “meritless” and that Blackburn’s criticism of outrageous public statements following Kirk’s death was protected speech.
About the Author: Paula Gomes is a Tennessee resident and reporter for The Tennessee Conservative. You can reach Paula at paula@tennesseeconservativenews.com.
