A New Jersey nurse has filed a lawsuit alleging she was suspended without pay after reporting a hospital surgeon for celebrating the killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, an incident her complaint says occurred “in front of patients and staff” and which the hospital says is being investigated with both employees placed on leave. The suit, lodged in Bergen County Superior Court, names Englewood Health and bariatric surgeon Dr Matthew Jung as defendants and seeks a jury trial and damages under state discrimination and whistleblower laws. In a statement to media, Englewood Health said “both the doctor and nurse were placed on suspension to allow time for a thorough and fair investigation,” and added that contrary to some reports “the nurse was not fired.”
The plaintiff, identified as 33-year-old registered nurse Lexi Kuenzle, alleges the suspension followed her objection to comments she says Dr Jung made at a nurse’s station shortly after news broke that Kirk had died from a gunshot wound sustained during a daytime question-and-answer event at Utah Valley University on 10 September. Kuenzle says she was working a shift at Englewood Health when she reacted to the bulletin by saying, “Oh, my God! That’s terrible! I love him!” and that Dr Jung responded, “I hate Charlie Kirk. He had it coming. He deserved it.” She contends she challenged the remarks, reported the exchange to management and later described it on her personal social-media account, after which she was told the next day she was suspended without pay pending investigation.
In the complaint, Kuenzle’s attorney, John Coyle, argues the surgeon’s alleged remarks are at odds with professional ethics and that punishing the employee who objected created a hostile work environment. “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 filing states. The suit also claims Dr Jung attempted to smooth over the incident by offering to “buy lunch” for nursing staff he had offended.
Englewood Health, a regional hospital based in Englewood, New Jersey, confirmed it was “aware of the incident” and said placing both employees on leave followed “standard protocol” and was “in the interest of everyone’s safety including their own.” The hospital also said that “contrary to certain media reports” Kuenzle had not been terminated and that any suggestion she should search for other employment “was not an official or accurate statement from Englewood Health.” The facility did not elaborate on the status of the surgeon or whether any separate review of his conduct is underway.