A Kansas town will pay $850K to end a reporter’s lawsuit over a 2023 raid on her paper’s offices

In the small town of Marion, Kansas, officials have reached a $850,000 settlement with Phyllis Zorn, a former reporter for the Marion County Record. This agreement effectively concludes her federal lawsuit stemming from a 2023 police raid on the newspaper's offices, an incident that drew national attention to the issue of press freedom.

According to Zorn's lawsuit, the police raid infringed upon press freedoms and constitutional protections against unreasonable searches, potentially triggering her seizures, which had been well-controlled for years with medication. Zorn's legal team, along with Marion city officials, has jointly announced the settlement, marking the third anniversary of the raid.

The lawsuit was one of several filed against local officials over similar police actions, including raids on the home of Publisher Eric Meyer and a former City Council member. However, the city's attorneys declined to comment on the settlement, which was revealed on the third anniversary of the incident.

Marion Police Chief Gideon Cody revealed that his department is investigating whether the newspaper violated identity theft laws or other criminal offenses during the raid, though the legal proceedings did not appear justified. The newspaper's co-owner, Meyer, lost his mother the day after the raid, blaming the stress from the event for her untimely death.

While some remaining legal claims against the city and its officials have been settled or dismissed, others persist, and a pretrial Zoom hearing is scheduled for October 15. In connection with the raid, two special prosecutors filed an obstruction of justice charge against Cody, alleging he pressured a witness to withhold information. Cody pleaded not guilty, and his trial has been postponed.