Lead
Marion County has agreed to apologize and pay a little more than $3 million to resolve federal claims arising from a law-enforcement raid on the Marion County Record in August 2023. The settlement, disclosed Nov. 12, 2025, follows five federal lawsuits naming the county, the city of Marion and local officials and comes after special prosecutors found the searches legally unjustified. The county’s approval requires a formal apology from the sheriff’s office and a financial distribution that includes a $1 million payment to the estate of the publisher’s mother. The agreement aims to settle claims tied to seizures of newsroom devices and searches of private homes that drew national attention to press protections.
Key Takeaways
- Marion County agreed to pay just over $3 million and to issue an apology related to the Aug. 2023 raid on the Marion County Record.
- The settlement divides funds: $1 million to the estate of Joan Meyer; $1.1 million split among Eric Meyer, two former reporters and the business manager; and $650,000 to former council member Ruth Herbel.
- The raid involved Marion County sheriff’s officers assisting Marion city police and resulted in seizure of phones and computers from the newsroom and homes.
- Two special prosecutors concluded nearly a year later that the paper, its staff and Herbel committed no crimes and that warrants contained inaccurate information.
- Police Chief Gideon Cody resigned in Oct. 2023 and faces a felony charge of interfering with a judicial process; he has pleaded not guilty and a trial was scheduled for February.
- The county commission approved the agreement in a private 15-minute session and required a formal statement of regret from Sheriff Jeff Soyez.
- Experts and media-law specialists said the raid ran afoul of the federal Privacy Protection Act and Kansas’s reporter shield law, prompting debate about government overreach and press freedom in small communities.
Background
The Marion County Record, a weekly paper serving roughly 1,900 residents, has a reputation for probing local government and community controversies. In August 2023, Marion city police executed search warrants at the paper’s newsroom, the publisher Eric Meyer’s home and the home of then-city council member Ruth Herbel. County sheriff’s officers participated in drafting and carrying out the warrants, according to the paper’s attorneys and court filings.
Search warrants were premised on allegations that a reporter or the paper had impersonated a restaurant owner to obtain her driving record and that Herbel had circulated a screenshot of that record. The paper had reported on the restaurant owner’s request for a city liquor license and had previously investigated the background of the police chief involved in the raid. Within days, the local prosecutor said there was insufficient evidence to support criminal charges tied to the reporting, and two special prosecutors later found no criminality before the searches.
Main Event
During the August 2023 operation, officers removed cellphones, computers and other materials from the newsroom and rifled through reporters’ desks. Body-camera footage released later showed emotional scenes at Meyer’s home; his 98-year-old mother, Joan, who lived with him, was visibly upset during the search. She died of a heart attack the day after the raid; the paper and family linked the stress of the episode to her death.
Following public outcry and legal filings, the raid produced five federal lawsuits naming Marion County, the city and local officials. Lawyers for the Record argued the operation violated statutory and constitutional protections for journalists, including the federal Privacy Protection Act and Kansas’s shield law. Two special prosecutors who examined the matter concluded that the warrants relied on faulty information and an inadequate investigation.
The Marion County Commission voted on Nov. 10, 2025, in a brief closed session to approve an agreement resolving the county’s portion of claims. The settlement requires the sheriff to issue a formal apology acknowledging the county’s participation in drafting and executing the search warrants and distributes roughly $3 million-plus among plaintiffs and the Meyer estate.
Police Chief Gideon Cody resigned in October 2023 and was later charged with felony obstruction-related conduct tied to the post-raid investigation. Prosecutors say text messages and interactions after the raid form the basis of an interference charge; Cody has pleaded not guilty and was noted as due for trial in February.
Analysis & Implications
The settlement and apology represent a tangible acknowledgement that county involvement in the 2023 searches crossed legal lines, in the view of outside prosecutors and journalists’ advocates. Financial compensation in excess of $3 million recognizes both the concrete harms—loss of devices, legal fees—and the symbolic damage to press freedom in a small community where local newsrooms are few and civic oversight is limited.
Legally, the episode underscores the reach of the Privacy Protection Act, which generally limits law-enforcement searches of newsrooms and favors subpoenas over warrants when seeking journalistic materials. State shield laws can require even stricter showing of need; in Kansas, industry advocates say those standards were not met. If courts or local governments accept settlements rather than extended litigation, the result may be a deterrent effect for future warrant-based intrusions in similar jurisdictions.
Politically and socially, the case has amplified concerns about the vulnerability of community newspapers that routinely scrutinize local officials. Small newsrooms often lack the resources to fight protracted legal battles, meaning that the cost of an intrusive investigation can be both operational and existential. The Meyer case may prompt other counties and municipal law-enforcement agencies to revisit policies on interaction with local press and the drafting of judicial affidavits to avoid legal exposure.
Comparison & Data
| Recipient | Amount |
|---|---|
| Estate of Joan Meyer | $1,000,000 |
| Eric Meyer, two former reporters & business manager (split) | $1,100,000 |
| Ruth Herbel (former city council member) | $650,000 |
The breakdown shows the largest single distribution went to the estate of Joan Meyer, reflecting the family’s assertion that the raid precipitated severe stress and her subsequent death. The remaining amounts are split between newsroom personnel and an elected official whose home was searched; together they total roughly $2.75 million and, with legal costs and fees, push the county’s payment to just over $3 million. Compared with high-profile newsroom settlements in larger jurisdictions, this payout is significant for a rural county and highlights the outsized financial risk local governments face when searches of journalists are later judged unlawful.
Reactions & Quotes
Eric Meyer, the Record’s editor and publisher, framed the settlement as both an admission of wrongdoing and a potential deterrent against future misuse of law enforcement power. He has said the money is symbolic and that the apology is central to the agreement.
“They intentionally wanted to harass us for reporting the news, and you’re not supposed to do that in a democracy.”
Eric Meyer, publisher, Marion County Record
Legal observers and press advocates emphasized statutory protections for journalists and criticized the warrant process in this case as procedurally flawed. A retired Kansas Press Association executive said the raid violated state shield provisions, while a University of Kansas media-law professor called the searches an egregious First Amendment breach.
“An award of this size should deter warrants with political motivations; no amount of money brings Joan Meyer back.”
Genelle Belmas, University of Kansas, media law professor
The county sheriff’s office issued the apology required by the settlement, acknowledging the sheriff’s participation in drafting and executing the warrants. County officials and attorneys did not provide extended on-the-record comment when contacted about the agreement.
“The Sheriff’s Office wishes to express its sincere regrets to Eric and Joan Meyer and Ruth and Ronald Herbel for its participation.”
Statement, Marion County Sheriff’s Office
Unconfirmed
- Claims against the city of Marion and individual city officials remain unresolved; the settlement covers only Marion County (unsettled as of Nov. 12, 2025).
- Long-term plans for the funds — whether to support the paper’s operations, establish a journalism fund or other uses — are still under consideration by Meyer and have not been finalized.
Bottom Line
The Marion County settlement is a rare, concrete acknowledgement that a local government’s involvement in a raid on a newsroom crossed legal and constitutional lines, at least in the judgment of outside prosecutors and the parties who sued. The payments and the required apology aim to remedy immediate harms and send a message to other small jurisdictions about the legal and political costs of improperly targeting the press.
For local news organizations and free-press advocates, the episode reinforces the need for clear policies, training and legal safeguards to prevent future incursions. How communities, state regulators and courts treat the unresolved claims against the city of Marion will shape whether this settlement functions primarily as restitution or as a broader deterrent to ill-conceived searches of journalists.
Sources
- CBS News (news report) — original coverage and settlement details.
- Marion County Record (local newsroom) — reporting and statements from the publisher.
- Kansas Press Association (industry organization) — commentary on shield law and press protections.