The Libs of TikTok account on X amassed 4.7 million followers within the account’s six-year existence, promoting “news you can’t see anywhere else.” The account transitioned to one that highlights people whom it determines are a liability in the workplace, costing taxpayers millions in settlements and lawyer fees so far this year, according to a new report.
A Ball State University administrator, a professor from the University of Tennessee at Knoxville, a biologist from Florida Fish and Wildlife, a retired police officer, and other public servants were targeted by posts from Libs of TikTok. The account shared comments made by these employees that celebrated the assassination of Charlie Kirk in Utah.
Each lost their jobs as a result of their posts. They also have been awarded upwards of $4.1 million in settlements after suing their workplaces for violating their rights to free speech. All worked for government-funded or government-run businesses.
It’s caught the attention of one X user, who has collected news about the cases as they come up.
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“Just started a new account, Libs of Settlements (@libs_settlement), an account dedicated to posting news about settlement payouts resulting from cancellations driven by large accounts,” X user This You? wrote on Aug. 1. “Initially, the focus will be on Charlie Kirk related firings but over time, it will cover settlement cases involving people across the political spectrum.”
The post has under 40,000 views, and people replied with praise for the project. A user shared a similar project, Hypocrisy Now, in replies to the post that examines statements politicians across the world have said, and contrasts them with what they’ve said now.
The Libs of Settlements account shares remarks people made that landed them in trouble, news about their firings and ensuing litigation. Each post is accompanied by screenshots of influencers and Libs of TikTok urging the aforementioned to be terminated.
“$3.20 million. That’s how much @LibsOfTikTok has cost the taxpayers so far,” user This You wrote on Monday. “May hit $5M by the end of this year as more cases settle.”
Libs of Settlements didn’t immediately respond to Straight Arrow’s request for comment.
Chaya Raichik, who mainly runs Libs of TikTok, hasn’t yet commented on the new X account. She didn’t immediately respond to Straight Arrow’s request for comment.
Libs of TikTok social media accounts are polarizing, with some people praising Raichik’s posts, while others have said the account promotes hate. The account has an active presence on TruthSocial and Instagram.
A university professor, former cop
The fired employees featured on Libs of TikTok weren’t just highlighted on the group’s social media accounts, but were shared by prominent conservative influencers and politicians as well.
In the case of Tamar Shirinian, who taught anthropology at the University of Tennessee at Knoxville, she commented on a friend’s private Facebook post about the world being “better off” without Kirk. She deleted the comment but not before Libs of TikTok’s supporters demanded her termination with screenshots.
Shirinian sued the university on Oct. 29 and cited Kirk’s stance on several issues in her lawsuit. She filed it nearly a month after the university placed her on administrative leave for termination proceedings. The university formally fired her in February.
She settled with the university in June. The university’s board of trustees approved a $1.9 million settlement, according to The New York Times. Terms of the settlement weren’t immediately available in court records.
She’s not alone. Comments people made after Kirk was assassinated at a Utah college caused hundreds of people to lose their jobs. A website popped up the week of Kirk’s killing to track comments that it said celebrated the conservative influencer’s death. The website leaked users’ personal data before being taken offline.
Shirinian’s settlement is the largest known so far. Libs of Settlements highlighted the arrest, then ensuing settlement for Larry Bushart. He posted on Facebook 10 days after Kirk was killed with a quote of President Donald Trump saying a day after the Perry High School shooting that, “We have to get over it.” Two people were killed before the shooter died by suicide.
“This seems relevant today,” Bushart added.
The Perry County Sheriff’s Office jailed Bushart for 37 days on a $2 million bond on the belief he was threatening mass violence. He alleged the county violated his First Amendment rights in a December lawsuit, and received an $835,000 settlement in May.
“Jailing an innocent man over a meme and settling for nearly a million to own the libs or something,” user This You wrote Saturday.
More settlements expected
Libertarian free speech organization Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression said in July that colleges that are firing people for making comments about Kirk’s death are racking up millions of dollars in terminations, and likely more in legal fees.
The organization supported Bushart and another person’s lawsuit against Tennessee officials for alleged First Amendment violations.
“Just as the First Amendment protects those who praise Kirk’s work and legacy, it also protects those who criticize the man,” Graham Piro, legal defense fellow for FIRE, wrote.
Round out your reading
- All your questions about napping, answered.
- Trump’s $5,000 promise echoes past payouts that never materialized.
- Inside the effort to make data centers pay their share of electricity costs.
- Why did the Feds seize the ’largest Martian meteorite on Earth’?
- Photos and video show exactly where and when Trump visited Ground Zero after 9/11.
