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2h ago

Kansas County Pays More Than $3 Million, Apologizes for 2023 Raid on Local Newspaper

The deal ends county liability, with claims against the City of Marion proceeding toward trial.

Cheri Bentz. a staffer at the paper, sits at her desk answering the phone. on August 17, 2023, with copies of the edition of the paper that came out after the raid.
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A tribute to the late Marion County Record co-owner Joan Meyer sits outside the newspaper's office on August 14, 2023, in Marion, Kansas.
Eric Meyer, publisher of the Marion County Record Newspaper, stands outside the newspaper office on August 17, 2023.

Overview

  • Marion County commissioners approved agreements totaling just over $3 million tied to the August 11, 2023 searches of the Marion County Record, its publisher’s home, and a council member’s home.
  • The sheriff’s office issued statements of regret in some agreements acknowledging its role in drafting and executing the warrants, while other settlements included no admission of wrongdoing.
  • Settlement terms include payments reported as $1.5 million to editor-publisher Eric Meyer, $650,000 to former council member Ruth Herbel, $600,000 to reporter Phyllis Zorn, $250,000 to reporter Deb Gruver, and $1 million to the estate of Joan Meyer, with insurance covering most costs and the county paying Meyer $50,000.
  • The county and sheriff’s office receive immunity from future suits over the raid, and sheriff’s officials will sit for interviews that plaintiffs can use in the ongoing case against the city.
  • Two special prosecutors later found the searches were not legally justified and relied on inaccurate information, and former police chief Gideon Cody—who led the raid—now faces a February trial on a felony charge of interfering with a judicial process.