Pharmacy Student Awarded $250K After University Expelled Her for Posting Music Lyrics
A pharmacy student at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center just scored a major win for free speech—securing a $250,000 settlement after nearly being expelled for posting lyrics from Beyoncé and Cardi B on social media.
According to court documents obtained by PEOPLE, Kimberly Diei found herself under fire in 2019 when the university received an anonymous complaint about her social media activity.
Under her pseudonym "KimmyKasi," she shared lyrics from Cardi B’s “WAP” and Beyoncé’s “Partition,” which school officials later deemed “crude,” “vulgar,” and “sexual.”
That was enough for them to launch an investigation—not once, but twice. Though the initial probe didn’t result in expulsion, Diei wasn’t out of the woods.
In 2020, she was investigated again; this time, the school's professional conduct committee voted to kick her out.
While she successfully appealed that decision, she later filed a federal lawsuit, arguing that the school was violating her constitutional rights by trying to police her personal social media posts.
