Reporter receives $850K settlement over Kansas newspaper raid

The town of Marion, Kansas will pay $850,000 to former reporter Phyllis Zorn, who sued officials in federal court over an August 2023 police raid on the Marion County Record. Zorn argued the search violated constitutional protections for journalists and led to a serious health crisis, alleging the stress was followed by potentially life-threatening seizures that had been controlled for years with medication. Her case was dismissed Tuesday under a settlement filed by attorneys Randy Rathbun and Jennifer Hill. The agreement is part of wider fallout from the raid: Marion County previously settled related claims for more than $3 million, including $600,000 to Zorn.