TOPEKA, Kansas — Marion County will pay just over $3 million and issue formal apologies to journalists and a city councilor following the 2023 police raid on the Marion County Record, an incident that ignited national outrage over press freedom. The county’s board of commissioners approved the settlement Monday, resolving multiple federal lawsuits linked to the Aug. 11 raid.
Editor and publisher Eric Meyer will receive $1.5 million, City Councilor Ruth Herbel $650,000, reporter Phyllis Zorn $600,000, and reporter Deb Gruver $250,000. Insurance will cover most of the cost, with Meyer receiving $50,000 directly. The settlement grants immunity to the Marion County Sheriff’s Office and deputies involved, who also expressed “sincere regrets” to those affected, including Meyer’s late mother, Joan Meyer, who died the day after the raid.
The search was tied to a dispute between the paper and a local restaurant owner and was led by Marion’s former police chief. Meyer called the payout “symbolic,” saying he hopes it deters future attacks on the press. “The press has basically been under assault,” he said.
The raid prompted national condemnation and renewed debate over First Amendment protections for local journalists.
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