Have you heard about Kimberly Diei? The former doctor of pharmacy student at the University of Tennessee spent the last four years fighting with her school, and she just received a major win.
As the New York Times reports, four years ago the University’s professional conduct committee received “an anonymous complaint” regarding Diei’s posts on social media. At the time, the posts reportedly featured “racy rap lyrics and tight dresses,” with the committee referring to the posts as “vulgar and unprofessional.” As a result, the committee threatened to expel her.
Diei did not accept this, however, fighting back against the school legally. The student argued that her posts were “sex-positive” and fun, and that they were in no way connected to her status as a student. While the fight took four years to conclude, Diei, now a graduate of the university, just got a major settlement.
Per reports, Diei filed a lawsuit against the school in 2021, arguing that the public college had “violated her constitutional right of free expression for no legitimate pedagogical reason.” The lawsuit has opened up a larger conversation regarding free speech and social media when it comes to being a student in the digital age.
Diei now has officially won the settlement and expects to receive a check for $250,000. As reports detail, Diei’s complaint was initially dismissed by the court where she filed, but she eventually appealed and the court found that her speech was protected by the first amendment.
“I knew what was happening was unfair,” she told the New York Times. “Personally, I never felt shame. But I did not appreciate the fact they were wanting me to feel shame.”
When asked what she would do with her settlement money, paying off her student loans or perhaps investing in the stock market came to mind. She said for sure she knows she wants to take a vacation “somewhere tropical.” Diei is currently a pharmacist at a Walgreens in Memphis.