Libs of Settlements

$835,000 Larry Bushart, a former police officer from Tennessee, was awarded $835,000 after being jailed for 37 days over a social media meme. In Sept 2025, following Kirk’s assassination, Bushart posted a meme on Facebook quoting Trump’s response to a school shooting at Perry High School in Iowa: "We have to get over it." On Sept 22, he was arrested and charged with making "threats of mass violence on school property" Sheriff Nick Weems, who directed the arrest, claimed Bushart posted the meme "to indicate or make the audience think it was referencing our Perry High School" in Tennessee even though he and his investigators knew from the start that the meme referred to the 2024 Perry High School shooting in Iowa, not the local school. He also said it caused "mass hysteria" as parents, teachers and students believed it referred to a "hypothetical shooting" at the local school but he did not present evidence to support those claims. Bushart’s bond was set at a staggering $2 million and he spent 37 days in jail. In Oct 2025, Perry County released him from jail following nationwide outrage and media scrutiny. He lost his post-retirement job and missed both his wedding anniversary and the birth of his grandchild. He later teamed up with FIRE and sued the sheriff, the investigator, and the county for violating his First, Fourth and Fourteenth Amendment rights. On May 14, 2026, the parties settled the case for $835,000. "I am pleased my First Amendment rights have been vindicated," said Larry Bushart.

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