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Marion County Agrees to $3M Settlement and Formal Apology After 2023 Newspaper Raids

Marion County will pay about $3 million and issue a formal apology after August 2023 searches targeted the Marion County Record, the publisher’s home, and a city council member. The raids followed reporting that included a restaurant owner’s driving record while covering her liquor license application. A county prosecutor later determined there was insufficient evidence to support the searches. The settlement resolves five federal lawsuits and divides the payment among the publisher, former staff, and the council member.

11:07 PM, 11/28/2025Politics
Marion County Agrees to $3M Settlement and Formal Apology After 2023 Newspaper Raids

Marion County, Kansas will pay about $3 million and issue a formal apology after law enforcement officers executed searches in August 2023 at the Marion County Record newsroom, the publisher’s home, and the residence of a city council member.

The raids were prompted by a dispute involving a local restaurant owner after the newspaper obtained her driving record while reporting on her application for a liquor license. A county prosecutor later concluded there was insufficient evidence to justify the searches.

Settlement and Legal Resolution

The agreement resolves five federal lawsuits brought by the publisher, former staff members, and the city council member whose home was searched. The roughly $3 million payout will be divided among those plaintiffs, and county officials will issue a formal apology as part of the settlement.

Press Freedom Concerns

Reporters and free-press advocates have raised concerns that the raids represented a troubling use of law enforcement to target news-gathering. Legal observers say the outcome underscores the importance of clear legal standards to protect journalistic sources and public records access, particularly when local authorities become involved in disputes with the press.

This settlement closes the immediate litigation, but the episode has renewed debate about balancing law enforcement powers with constitutional protections for the press and private citizens reporting on public matters.

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