Kansas Officials Pay $3 Million in Damages to Local Newspaper Raided by Law Enforcement

On August 11, 2023, the Sheriff's office in Marion County, Kansas, raided the offices of a local newspaper as well as two private homes.

Here's what Townhall reported at the time:

There’s now an effort between law enforcement and the paper’s legal team to re-possess the items law enforcement took. The matter is now under review by the Kansas Bureau of Investigation. Yet, the judge involved in this fiasco also has a checkered past. We’ll get into that in a second, but first, let’s go through the raid.
It wasn’t just the headquarters for the Marion County Record that was raided—the publisher's home was included in the search. The latter part is contentious since the publisher’s elderly mother died last weekend. The publisher, Eric Meyer, blamed the stress of the raid and police taking computers and other electronic devices as the reason.

The story ultimately turned out to be much more complex than initially reported. Not only was Eric Meyer's home raided, but so was the home of Marion Vice Mayor Ruth Herbel. Meyer's mother was Joan Meyers, who was also a co-owner of the newspaper.

Eric Meyer believed the raid was related to the paper's critical coverage of local politicians and the police chief.

Law enforcement alleged the paper committed "identity theft" by looking at public records, according to KCUR. The warrant that authorized the raids was "unconstitutional," according to the then Kansas House Minority Leader Vic Miller, who later introduced legislation to strip magistrates of the power to authorize search warrants.

Officials in Marion County, Kansas, have agreed to pay more than $3 million in damages stemming from a 2023 police raid on a local newspaper and two private homes, The Hill reported Wednesday.
The raids were carried out by the Marion County Sheriff's Office on the newspaper's office and two homes — that of the paper's owner, Joan Meyer, and former Marion Vice Mayor Ruth Herbel.
The raids were conducted amid a police investigation into the newspaper over allegations it illegally obtained and used personal information about a local restaurant owner.

According to The Hill, the state of Joan Meyers received $1 million, and Eric Meyers received $200,000. His cell phone and two computers were seized in the raid. Two of the paper's reporters, Deb Gruver and Phyllis Zorn received settlements, too. Gruver was awarded $250,000 and Zorn $600,000. Both have since left the paper, "citing the stress of working in Marion County." The paper itself received $300,000; during the raid, the police seized computers and a file server, which disrupted the paper's operations. Herbel, whose computer and phone were seized in the raid on her home, received $650,000. Herbel also said the raid exacerbated her husband's dementia.

The Marion County Sheriff's Office also issued an apology that read, "The Sheriff’s Office wishes to express its sincere regrets to Eric and Joan Meyer and Ruth and Ronald Herbel for its participation in the drafting and execution of the Marion Police Department’s search warrants on their homes and the Marion County Record."

Editor’s Note: Here at Townhall, we’ve been dealing with real government suppression of free speech for YEARS. Despite the threats and consequences, we refuse to go silent and remain committed to delivering the truth.

Help us fight back against government censorship by joining Townhall VIP today. Use promo code FIGHT to receive 60% off your membership.