堪萨斯州Marion镇已同意支付85万美元，以终止前报纸记者Phyllis Zorn就2023年警察搜查报社办公室事件提起的联邦诉讼[1]。该搜查被认定违反了宪法保护的新闻自由和对不合理搜查的保护，并对Zorn造成了健康伤害[1]。
Marion警察局长Gideon Cody曾以调查身份盗窃为由进行上述搜查[1]。Cody因妨碍司法罪被控重罪，其审判已被推迟[1]。此次赔偿协议是Marion镇近期处理相关诉讼的一部分——Marion县在11月已同意支付超过300万美元解决5起诉讼，其中包括对Zorn的60万美元赔偿[1]。人口约1900人的Marion镇位于堪萨斯城西南约150英里处[1]。报纸出版人Eric Meyer的98岁母亲在搜查后一天去世，Meyer将其归咎于搜查造成的压力[1]。
Marion, Kansas has agreed to pay $850,000 in damages to former newspaper reporter Phyllis Zorn to resolve her federal lawsuit stemming from a 2023 police raid on the publication's offices.[1] The settlement comes approximately three years after the raid, which a court determined violated constitutional protections for press freedom and against unreasonable searches, while also causing health injuries to Zorn.[1]
The raid was conducted by Marion Police Chief Gideon Cody under the premise of investigating identity theft, though it was later found to be unlawful.[1] Cody faces felony obstruction of justice charges, with his trial originally scheduled for the end of this month but has since been postponed.[1] The settlement represents one of several payouts Marion has made related to the incident; Marion County previously agreed in November to pay more than $3 million to resolve five lawsuits, including a separate $600,000 settlement for Zorn.[1]
Marion is a small town with approximately 1,900 residents located roughly 150 miles southwest of Kansas City.[1] Beyond the legal consequences, the raid had profound personal impacts: Eric Meyer, the publication's owner, attributed the death of his 98-year-old mother to stress caused by the raid, which occurred the day after the police search.[1]