Update: NJ Doctor Resigns After Charlie Kirk Comments, Suspension, Lawsuit

BERGEN COUNTY, NJ — A doctor has resigned from a North Jersey hospital after a nurse reported his reaction to the assassination of Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk last week, the hospital said.

Nurse Lexie Kuenzle filed a lawsuit in Bergen County Superior Court on Friday alleging that when news was reported Wednesday about Kirk's fatal shooting on the Utah Valley University campus, "In front of patients and staff, Dr. [Matthew] Jung cheered and publicly praised the murder."

[UPDATE: Jung gave his account on Sept. 23. Read it here.]

Kuenzle said that she criticized the surgeon's comments both in person and later on her social media account.

"Plaintiff was engaged in a protected activity, namely exercising her rights under the New Jersey Constitution to speak on her own personal social media account," Kuenzle's lawyers said in the suit.

The next day, she was told she was being suspended, she says.

Englewood Health said in a statement on Monday morning that both the nurse and doctor were suspended to give them time to investigate the comments.

They updated their statement later on Monday to say that the hospital had accepted Jung's resignation and that Kuenzle is expected to return to work.

"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," they said. "Englewood Health is committed to providing a safe and respectful environment for all."

The lawsuit argued that Kuenzle was suspended because "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."

Englewood Health, which runs Englewood Hospital, had initially issued a statement on Monday morning saying: "The incident was promptly reported to management. Both the doctor and nurse were placed on suspension to allow time for a thorough and fair investigation, following our standard protocol, and in the interest of everyone’s safety including their own."

They added, "As this is a personnel matter with an ongoing investigation, we are limited in the details we can share. Englewood Health remains committed to ensuring a respectful, safe, and professional environment for all employees and patients."

Kirk was assassinated during a stop on his "American Comeback" tour on Wednesday. A suspect in the fatal shooting, Tyler Robinson, 22, of Utah, was taken into custody Friday. READ MORE: 5 Things To Know About Tyler Robinson, Charlie Kirk's Accused Killer

Kuenzle's lawsuit noted that her employers were aware of her Christian faith and asked, "What happened when a horrified Christian Nurse was the victim of Dr. Jung’s anti-religious rant? As a result of Plaintiff’s engagement in the protected activity above, she suffered an adverse job action."

The suit says the doctor's comments and the hospital's response created a "hostile work environment" for Kuenzle, and that the hostility "continued when he mockingly offered to buy lunch for anyone offended."

The suit asks for a jury trial.