A New Jersey surgeon who allegedly celebrated the assassination of conservative leader Charlie Kirk resigned Monday, and the nurse who called him out was reinstated.
Dr. Matthew Jung “cheered and publicly praised” Kirk’s death Wednesday when he learned of the shooting while working at Englewood Health, NJ.com reported, according to a lawsuit filed by nurse Lexi Kuenzle against Jung and the hospital. Kuenzle filed the lawsuit Friday alleging a hostile workplace and retaliation after she was suspended and told she could be fired.
“Consistent with protocol and best practices, Englewood Health diligently investigated the Sept. 10 incident that occurred between a doctor and a nurse in a patient care area,” the hospital said in a statement Monday, NJ.com reported. “We have accepted the physician’s resignation, and the nurse is expected to work her scheduled shifts.”
Kuenzle said in a statement Monday to Newsmax that “a hospital is supposed to be a place of healing, compassion, and professionalism, not a place where a rogue staff member cheers the death of someone because of their views.”
She added, “Speaking up wasn’t optional for me; it was my duty as a nurse to protect patients from that kind of cruelty and to uphold the integrity of our profession. God bless Charlie Kirk and his family. His voice without a doubt will outlive the noise of those spreading hate.”
Englewood Health disputed Kuenzle’s assertion that hospital administrators told her she would be dismissed for voicing her displeasure to human resources and on her personal Instagram page.
“The nurse was never fired, was never told she would be fired by Englewood Hospital and will not miss any pay as part of our review of this matter,” the hospital said in its statement, according to NJ.com. “Englewood Health is committed to providing a safe and respectful environment for all.”
Kuenzle posted on Instagram that “this doctor is a disgrace. Had the audacity to say, ‘I’m glad, he deserved it,’ in front of a patient/nursing station in regard to Charlie Kirk’s being murdered today. You are what’s wrong with the world.”
She added that Jung then offered to buy the nursing staff lunch. Jung could not be reached for comment by NJ.com.
Kuenzle alleged in her lawsuit that human resource employees violated the state’s law against discrimination by violating her “sincerely held Christian beliefs” when they suspended her without pay.
“No nurse should ever face retaliation for reporting illegal and unethical conduct, especially when that conduct happens in front of patients,” Kuenzle’s attorney, John-Paul Deol of the Dhillon Law Group, said in a statement to Newsmax.
The Dhillon Law Group was founded by Harmeet Dhillon, the Department of Justice’s assistant attorney general for civil rights.
“Suspending Ms. Kuenzle indefinitely without pay for speaking up was not only unjust, it was unlawful,” Deol said. “This case is about protecting employees from retaliation over bias or political beliefs and making sure hospitals prioritize patient care above all else. We are pleased that Ms. Kuenzle has been offered the chance to continue in her position and receive the pay she was wrongly denied, and we will be working with the hospital to resolve the remaining details.”
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