Tennessee man jailed 37 days over Facebook meme mocking Charlie Kirk’s death wins $850K settlement

While many people across the U.S. lost their jobs over social media comments about Kirk’s death, Larry Bushart’s case stood out as a rare instance in which such online speech led to criminal prosecution.

The 61-year-old retired police officer spent 37 days behind bars before authorities dropped the felony charge against him in October.

Larry Bushart’s arrest for a Facebook meme sparks a landmark settlement and highlights free speech issues.

Larry Bushart is filing a lawsuit after sharing a meme related to the Charlie Kirk shooting landed him in jail for over a month.