A small Kansas town has agreed to pay $850,000 to a former reporter at its weekly newspaper to end her federal lawsuit over a police raid of the paper’s offices in 2023. The raid, which was widely criticized as an attack on press freedom, was conducted by the Marion Police Department and targeted the Marion County Record.

Background of the Raid

The raid was allegedly conducted in response to an investigation into whether the paper had committed identity theft or other crimes in accessing a local restaurant owner’s state driving record. However, authorities who examined the raids said they were not legally justified.

The lawsuit, filed by former reporter Phyllis Zorn, claimed that the raid violated her constitutional rights and protections from unreasonable law enforcement searches. Zorn also claimed that the raid caused her to experience health problems, including the return of potentially life-threatening seizures that had been controlled for years with medication.

Settlement and Aftermath

The settlement, which was announced on the third anniversary of the raid, brings an end to Zorn’s lawsuit against the town. The town had previously agreed to pay a little more than $3 million to parties in five lawsuits, including $600,000 to Zorn, to settle claims against its officials.

The raid and subsequent lawsuits have had a significant impact on the town of Marion, which has a population of about 1,900 residents. The town’s police chief, Gideon Cody, resigned in the aftermath of the raid, and the town has faced criticism for its handling of the situation.

Original reporting: KTBS 3 (Shreveport) — read the source article.