The city of Marion has agreed to pay $850,000 to former Marion County Record reporter Phyllis Zorn to settle her federal lawsuit over a controversial 2023 police raid on the newspaper’s offices.
Zorn alleged the raid violated her First and Fourth Amendment rights and said the stress of the incident caused a serious return of seizures that had previously been controlled with medication.
The settlement was announced Tuesday, exactly three years after police raided the newspaper’s offices, as well as the homes of publisher Eric Meyer and former city council member Ruth Herbel. The raids drew national attention and widespread criticism over press freedom concerns.
Police Chief Gideon Cody had sought the search warrant while investigating whether the newspaper illegally obtained a local restaurant owner’s driving record. Authorities later determined the raids were not legally justified. Cody eventually resigned.
The broader legal fight has involved five lawsuits. Marion County agreed last year to pay more than $3 million to settle claims involving county officials, including a separate $600,000 payment to Zorn. Some claims against the city and other officials remain pending, with a pretrial hearing scheduled for October 15.
The Marion newspaper raid became a national flashpoint for press freedom and raised questions about the protections journalists have from government searches and seizures.
Updates on KNSS Radio.
