US EditionKansas county agrees to pay $3 million over police raid on a small-town newspaper, editor says
Marion County agreed to pay over $3 million and issue an apology after unconstitutional raids on a newspaper, marking a significant accountability for First and Fourth Amendment violations.
- Marion County's board of commissioners approved Monday agreements to pay $3 million to three journalists and a city councilor over the Aug. 11, 2023 raid on the Marion County Record.
- A search warrant tied the raid to a dispute with a local restaurant owner and the operation was led by Marion's police chief, with five cases consolidated into a single federal lawsuit prompting settlements.
- The county agreed to pay Eric Meyer $1.5 million, Ruth Herbel $650,000, Phyllis Zorn $600,000, and Deb Gruver $250,000, with insurance covering most costs but Meyer receiving $50,000 directly; Gruver settled an unrelated suit earlier this year for $235,000.
- Monday's deals settle Marion County's obligations within four federal lawsuits and grant immunity related to Aug. 11, 2023 searches, with Sheriff Jeff Soyez, Detective Aaron Christner, and Undersheriff Larry Starkey available for official interviews.
- Eric Meyer said `The money is symbolic` and indicated he hopes the size of the payment is large enough to discourage similar actions, while he and others remain 1900% convinced they will go to trial with the city; the Marion County Sheriff's Office expressed `sincere regrets` in two agreements.
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Short Circuit: An inexhaustive weekly compendium of rulings from the federal courts of appeal
Please enjoy the latest edition of Short Circuit, a weekly feature written by a bunch of people at the Institute for Justice. In 2023, police in Marion, Kan.—armed with bogus warrants—raided the offices of a local newspaper, the home of the newspaper owner (a nonagenarian who died of a heart attack the following day), and the home of a city councilwoman who'd been critical of the mayor. And this week, Marion County and its sheriff agreed to a fi…
Small-town Kansas newspaper granted $3 million and apology over police raid
A Kansas newspaper whose offices and the home of its associate publisher were searched by law enforcement in 2023 has been granted a $3 million award by the county and an apology for violating the publication’s constitutional rights.
Marion County in Kansas Agrees to Pay $3 Million After Police Raided Local Paper in 2023
Marion County in Kansas has agreed to pay $3 million and apologize after local police raided the county’s weekly newspaper–The Marion County Record–and the home of the paper’s publisher back in 2023. The raids followed a dispute between the newspaper and a local restaurant owner who accused the paper of illegally obtaining information about a drunk driving incident, and after the paper had been actively investigating Marion County’s police chief…
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