In a significant development, a small Kansas town has agreed to pay $850,000 to Phyllis Zorn, a former reporter at a local weekly newspaper. This settlement resolves her federal lawsuit concerning a police raid on the paper’s offices in 2023, which sparked a nationwide debate on press freedom.
Zorn, now retired from the Marion County Record, filed the lawsuit claiming that the raid breached her press rights and protections from unreasonable searches guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution. She further mentioned that the raid triggered health issues, leading to the recurrence of potentially life-threatening seizures that medication had kept under control for years.
On the third anniversary of the raid, Zorn’s attorney Randy Rathbun and Marion’s attorney Jennifer Hill released a joint statement announcing the dismissal of the lawsuit. This case was part of broader legal actions in federal court against local officials, linked to searches of the newspaper’s offices, the home of Publisher Eric Meyer, and the residence of a former City Council member.
While Rathbun did not return calls for comments, Scott Ufford, another attorney for the city, declined to comment on the settlement specifics but confirmed the settlement’s amount. Marion Police Chief Gideon Cody justified the raid by alleging that the newspaper committed identity theft or other crimes through access to a local restaurant owner’s state driving record. However, authorities subsequently determined the raids were legally unjustified.
The situation was seen by Meyer, Zorn, and others as retaliation for the newspaper’s critical coverage and efforts to investigate Cody’s history in law enforcement. A tribute to Joan Meyer, the 98-year-old co-owner of the Marion County Record, was displayed outside the newspaper’s offices in 2023.
The police raids brought national attention to Marion, a town with around 1,900 residents located 150 miles southwest of Kansas City. Cody resigned following widespread scrutiny. Tragically, Joan Meyer, who lived with Eric Meyer and was a co-owner of the paper, died a day after the raids. Eric Meyer attributed her death to the stress caused by the raid at their home.
Earlier, in November, Marion County agreed to a settlement exceeding $3 million across five lawsuits, which included a $600,000 payment to Zorn, addressing claims against its officials. While some legal claims against the city and its officials have reached settlements or been dismissed, others persist. A pretrial Zoom hearing is anticipated on October 15.
Questions arose about Chief Cody’s conduct, prompting the state to launch an investigation. This led to two special prosecutors filing a felony obstruction of justice charge against him in state district court. The charge alleged he influenced a witness—the local restaurant owner—to withhold vital information. Cody pleaded not guilty, with a trial initially planned for this month now postponed.
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