Nurse facing discipline for 'vile' comments wishing 'a fourth-degree tear' on ex-Trump White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt

A Florida nurse will likely have to pay — literally — for disparaging comments she made about former Trump White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt.

In January, Alexis Lawler, a labor and delivery nurse, made reference to her profession, and wished for Leavitt to experience painful and debilitating trauma when she gives birth.

The details of the case are relayed in an 18-page recommended order issued by Administrative Law Judge Robert Cohen with the Florida Division of Administrative Hearings earlier this month.

"As a labor and delivery nurse, it gives me great joy to wish Karoline Leavitt a fourth-degree tear," she said. "I hope that you f—ing rip from bow to stern and never s— normally again, you c—."

At the time of those comments, Leavitt was several months pregnant.

Also at that time, Lawler was employed at Baptist Health Boca Raton Regional Hospital in Boca Raton. She was licensed in 2014 and previously worked at St. Mary's in West Palm Beach.

The video eventually went viral after it was posted by Chaya Raichik, a far-right commentator who posts on social media as "Libs of TikTok." Later, Lawler's place of employment was also posted online.

After the video went viral, Lawler received "death threats and other negative comments," according to the judge's order. The hospital, meanwhile, received complaints from two patients.

An investigation ensued. One of the patients had Lawler as her labor and delivery nurse and only saw the video after she gave birth, the judge recounts. Another patient saw the video before she gave birth but did not have Lawler as her labor and delivery nurse.

Lawler's patient described the comments in the video as "just inappropriate, specifically coming from someone whose job is to take care of you at one of your most vulnerable moments," the order notes.

The patient who did not receive Lawler's services said she overheard co-workers of Lawler describing the video. Those nurses allegedly said "they couldn't believe somebody in, you know, as a nurse would speak that way about anybody, whether it was a patient or not." The second patient said she agreed with those sentiments, according to the order.

In issuing his findings, Cohen said Lawler "has learned from this experience, a costly one in terms of her losing her employment of many years." The judge also noted Lawler's lack of any other previous trouble, professional or otherwise — aside from "a minor parking violation." All things considered, Cohen said, "a penalty at the low end of the range should be imposed."

To that end, the judge recommends the Florida Department of Health fine Lawler $250, reprimand her, and require her to take a continuing education class which includes "at least one course in the appropriate use of social media and the pitfalls associated with its abuse."

But Cohen still had harsh words for the nurse.

"As an experienced labor and delivery nurse, she knew exactly what she was wishing upon Ms. Leavitt, and it was something pretty horrific for any woman experiencing labor and delivery," the order reads.

The administrative law judge elaborates:

Probably the most naïve or outright untrue statements made at the final hearing by Respondent were that she was attacking Ms. Leavitt, not because she was both pregnant and the White House press secretary, but because she was part of "our government [that] commits human right's [sic] violations on a daily basis by locking up women and children in concentration camps." I sincerely doubt the "fourth-degree tear" statement would have been made if the subject of the Video was President Trump or Vice President Vance or any other male or a non-pregnant individual. The vile statement made in the heat of the moment, when Respondent was clearly angry, was targeted at the press secretary, a pregnant mother, and no one else.

Cohen also took Lawler to task for her First Amendment defense.

"Respondent is attempting to hide behind the internet," the order goes on.

In that vein, the judge also rejected an argument that the cited administrative rule does not apply here because Lawler did not make the anti-Leavitt comments in front of a patient.

"It would be absurd to think a rule that can only be read to contemplate a statement (here, the Video which makes a crystal-clear statement) must be uttered by the nurse to the patient's face while standing in front of that patient," Cohen opined.

Lawler's legal team plans to file exceptions to the recommendation, according to Miami-based NBC affiliate WTVJ.