TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WCJB) – Another wrongful termination lawsuit was filed against the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) for firing employees for controversial posts made following the death of Charlie Kirk, a conservative political commentator. <\/p>\n
Former FWC employee Haley Massung of Marion County sued agency executive director Roger A. Young for firing her due to a comment she made following the assassination. <\/p>\n
According to the lawsuit, Massung commented \u201crest in piss\u201d on a Facebook page called \u201cVelvet Guillotine\u201d. The post was announcing the death of Kirk. <\/p>\n
Massung\u2019s lawyer, Gary Edinger, claims that Young\u2019s choice to terminate Massung violates her constitutional rights to engage in free speech. He explains that Kirk built his career on the free expression of controversial political views, which was no different than Massung\u2019s Facebook comment. <\/p>\n
Edinger explains that Massung had a 10-year career at the FWC, which began when she was hired at the age of 20. She was named the duty officer of the year in 2018.<\/p>\n
The lawsuit states that Massung did not identify herself as an employee of the FWC on the Facebook page or in her post. Edinger says her post was completely protected by the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.<\/p>\n
Brittney Brown was the first employee of the FWC<\/a> to sue Young over termination due to a post made about Kirk. She was a biologist at the Commission. She secured a settlement from the state. <\/p>\n