A pharmacy student settled a $250,000 lawsuit against the University of Tennessee Health Science Center after the university tried to expel her for posting Beyonce and Cardi B lyrics on her personal social media account.
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Kimberly Diei was accused of violating her school’s professionalism code after the administration received several anonymous complaints regarding her social media posts. According to PEOPLE, her lawsuit claims that she used the pseudonym “KimmyKasi” to share lyrics from Cardi B’s “WAP” and Beyoncé’s “Partition.” The university first received anonymous tips about her posts in 2019 and initially allowed her to continue attending school. However, in 2020, they threatened her with expulsion.
The lawsuit accused the university of violating her constitutional rights by trying to police her posts on her social media unrelated to her program. Additionally, the posts didn’t mention the school or give any hints of affiliation. Though Diei completed her pharmacy degree, her lawsuit continued. After initially being dismissed in 2023, she and her legal team appealed in 2024 and won.
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Following the decision, Diei received a $250,000 settlement—with $180,000 paid directly to her and $70,000 awarded to the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, the organization that helped her fight the case. After her win, Diei said the case was about more than money but standing up for her rights.
“I have a right to express myself in my private life that’s separate from school, and so do my classmates,” she said to the Tennessean.