Marion County Settles Newspaper Raid Lawsuit for Over $3 Million, Issues Formal Apology
Marion County, Kansas, will pay over $3 million and formally apologize for a 2023 police raid on a local newspaper, resolving the controversial incident.
Overview
- Marion County, Kansas, has agreed to a settlement exceeding $3 million, compensating for a controversial police raid.
- The agreement includes a formal apology from the county, acknowledging the impact of the 2023 incident.
- The settlement specifically addresses a police raid on a small-town newspaper that occurred in 2023.
- This resolution aims to rectify the damages and address the legal and ethical concerns raised by the raid.
- The payment and apology conclude the legal dispute stemming from the widely criticized actions against the local press.
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FAQ
In August 2023, law enforcement conducted a raid on the Marion County Record, a small-town weekly newspaper in Marion County, Kansas, which sparked national outcry over press freedom. The raid was part of investigations involving the newspaper's publisher and others, leading to multiple federal lawsuits.
The defendants included Marion County, as well as the city and city officials, with the county settling for over $3 million and issuing a formal apology, while claims against the city and city officials remain unresolved.
The raid caused significant stress on Eric Meyer, the publisher, and his family; notably, his 98-year-old mother, who lived with him and co-owned the paper, died of a heart attack that Meyer attributed to the stress from the raid.
The $3 million settlement and formal apology are symbolic efforts to address the damages caused by the raid and to discourage future law enforcement actions against news organizations, emphasizing the defense of press freedom.
Legal claims against the city and city officials involved in the raid have not yet been settled, and the publisher anticipates a larger judgment in those cases, though resolution may take more time.
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