Her grad school tried to expel her for a tweet about Cardi B. Now they’ll pay a $250K lawsuit settlement

by FIRE January 29, 2025


Former University of Tennessee student Kim Diei prevailed in court against the university.

• The University of Tennessee’s pharmacy school twice investigated a grad student for her sex-positive social media posts.
• UT voted to expel her from her doctoral program — but reversed its decision when FIRE intervened.
• Today’s settlement is a warning to colleges around the country: If you police students’ personal online expression, there will be consequences.
• Student: ‘We all need to speak up when someone tries to take our rights away — our voice is way too powerful to let anyone shut it down.’

MEMPHIS, Tenn., Jan. 29, 2025 — After her First Amendment lawsuit set precedent last fall for student free speech rights, Memphis pharmacist Kimberly Diei agreed to a $250,000 settlement with the University of Tennessee.

School administrators twice investigated and nearly expelled Diei over her sex-positive social media posts on her personal account. Concerned she and other students would face future investigations for speech fully protected by the First Amendment, Kim connected with the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression to sue UT on her behalf in 2021.

“UT’s pharmacy school learned an important lesson today,” said FIRE attorney Greg H. Greubel. “There is nothing unprofessional about students expressing love of hip-hop and their sexuality on social media. Kim has proven something FIRE has said for 25 years: The First Amendment robustly protects students’ rights to have a voice outside of school, even if college administrators don’t like what they have to say.”

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