TOPEKA, Kan. — Marion County in rural Kansas has agreed to a settlement of just over $3 million following a controversial law enforcement raid on the Marion County Record, a small-town weekly newspaper, which has ignited a national conversation around press freedom.
This decision comes after multiple lawsuits were filed by the newspaper’s publisher Eric Meyer, as well as other parties including the estate of his late mother, Joan Meyer, and a former city council member whose home was also raided.
Eric Meyer expressed hope that the financial settlement would serve as a deterrent to similar actions against investigative journalism in the future, stating, The goal isn’t to get the money. The money is symbolic. The press has basically been under assault.
The Marion County Sheriff publicly apologized to the individuals affected by the raid, acknowledging the distress it caused the Meyers and others involved.
The incident has brought national scrutiny to Marion, a small town of approximately 1,900 people located about 150 miles southwest of Kansas City. The raid's circumstances have been heavily discussed, especially since Meyer’s mother passed away from a heart attack the day following the incident, which he attribute to the stress caused by the raid.
Details of the raid were tied to a conflict between the newspaper and a local restaurant owner. Accusations suggested that the paper had illegally accessed information regarding her privacy and driving record, with implications that the paper’s thorough coverage of local politics contributed to tensions.
