A New Jersey nurse says she faced punishment after speaking out against a doctor who allegedly celebrated the killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk—and she is now suing the hospital.
The dispute stems from the aftermath of Kirk’s assassination, which has rippled beyond politics and into workplaces, with reports of repercussions for teachers, firefighters, journalists, politicians, and even a Secret Service employee. Lexi Kuenzle, 33, has been a nurse for a decade, nearly two years at Englewood Health in New Jersey. She says that on September 10, after news broke that Kirk was fatally shot during a Utah Valley University event, a colleague—bariatric surgeon Dr. Matthew Jung—“cheered” in front of her, eight nurses, and a patient on a stretcher.
“Oh, my God! That’s terrible! I love him!”
Kuenzle recalls saying—followed, she alleges, by Dr. Jung’s response:
“I hate Charlie Kirk. He had it coming. He deserved it.”
Kuenzle says she challenged him—
“You’re a doctor. How could you say someone deserved to die?”
—and later told the New York Post the remarks were “mind-blowing,” leaving her “angry and upset.” According to her lawsuit, Jung then tried to smooth things over by offering to buy lunch for the nurses
Kuenzle reported the incident to management and also posted about it on social media. She claims she was suspended without pay the next day and told termination was likely. Her attorney, John Coyle, wrote that she had “the audacity to question how Dr. Jung can comply with the Hippocratic Oath’s and the American Medical Association’s Code of Medical Ethics while celebrating the murder of a non-violent Christian speaker who was on a college campus.” The complaint accuses Englewood Health of violating the New Jersey Law Against Discrimination, retaliating against her for her Christian faith, fostering a hostile work environment, and breaching the Conscientious Employee Protection Act. Kuenzle seeks a jury trial and unspecified damages.
Englewood Health told Fox News that both Kuenzle and Dr. Jung were suspended pending investigation.
“Contrary to certain media reports, the nurse was not fired. Any reported suggestions that the nurse should seek other employment was not an official or accurate statement from Englewood Health,”
the hospital said. As of Sunday, Dr. Jung’s profile no longer appeared on the hospital’s website.
Kuenzle, an outspoken conservative, frequently shares pro-Trump content on Instagram, including images with an American flag and a cardboard cutout of the former president. GOP activist Scott Presler publicly defended her, calling her one of “Charlie’s Angels” and questioning whether Dr. Jung can fairly treat patients whose politics differ from his.
“Would he treat them differently? Would he allow his emotions to cloud his judgment, as he did by saying such a statement in front of a patient?”
The case has already stirred strong reactions online and revived debates about workplace ethics, free speech, and professional standards. Supporters frame Kuenzle’s actions as necessary accountability; critics argue internal disputes should be handled without public escalation. At the heart of the lawsuit is a blunt question: should speaking out against a colleague’s comments be punished—or protected?
