Former Wake Forest athletic trainer Bridget Sullivan is suing North Carolina Rep. Pat Harrigan for libel after the lawmaker spread misinformation about Sullivan online, including sharing screenshotted, out-of-context posts in the wake of Charlie Kirk’s assassination and announcing that Sullivan had been fired when that was not the case.
Sullivan worked as the assistant athletic trainer for the women’s soccer team.
According to Blue Ridge Public Radio, Sullivan posted on Instagram using lyrics from the musical “Chicago,” in the wake of Kirk’s assassination. That post was later shared by a third party, along with Sullivan’s Wake Forest University headshot and information. It was at that time that Harrigan picked up the information and spread it even further.
“If a staff member is openly celebrating the assassination of Charlie Kirk, it crosses every line of decency and professionalism,” Harrigan wrote online. “No university should tolerate an employee glorifying political violence. Anything less than firing her is an endorsement of it.”
Harrigan’s follow-up post on X (formerly Twitter) regarding Sullivan was viewed nearly 1,000,000 times. It read, “I’m happy to report that after I contacted @WakeForest, Bridget has been FIRED for celebrating Charlie Kirk’s assassination.”
In reality, Sullivan and Wake Forest University mutually agreed to part ways after Sullivan began receiving safety threats. Sullivan was not fired, as Harrigan had rumored.
As a result, Sullivan is suing Harrigan for libel, including $75,000, and claiming he ruined her professional reputation and exposed her to safety threats.
