MIAMI _ The University of Central Florida student who "graded" his ex-girlfriend's apology letter in a social media post that went viral and was suspended for two semesters was cleared of all charges Thursday.
Nick Lutz, 21, posted pictures of his ex-girlfriend's apology letter _ complete with grammar and content editing and a D- final grade _ on Twitter, where it quickly earned 121,000 retweets.
"When your ex writes you an apology letter so you grade it to send it back," he tweeted.
His unidentified ex-girlfriend, a high school student hoping to attend UCF, went to her hometown sheriff's office and the university with her complaint of cyberbullying. UCF suspended Lutz for two semesters on charges of breaking the school's honor code.
His lawyer, Jacob Stuart, called the punishment a violation of his client's First Amendment rights.
Days after his suspension was widely reported in the media, UCF granted Lutz's request for an appeal. The next day, the school dismissed the case because, "Though your reported behavior is concerning, it does not appear to be an expressed violation of a Rule of Conduct."
Stuart cheered the school's decision and said his client looks forward to returning to "normalcy" as a senior studying sports management in the fall.
"Mr. Lutz and his family applaud UCF for recognizing that a student's right to enjoy the freedom of expression is protected from ill-founded and abusive supervising by a public university," Stuart wrote in a statement.
