Marion County Record Reporter Settles Lawsuit Over Politically Charged Police Raid

A former reporter for the Marion County Record, Deb Gruver, has settled a federal lawsuit against the former police chief of Marion, Kansas, for $235,000. The lawsuit stemmed from an August 2023 raid on the newspaper’s offices, which appeared to be politically motivated. Gruver claimed that the police chief, Gideon Cody, injured her hand during the raid while demanding her personal cell phone. The raid was ostensibly to investigate the paper’s acquisition of certain legal documents, although the paper had not published or identified the source of the documents.

Marion County Attorney Joel Ensey later ordered most of the seized materials to be returned, stating the search lacked probable cause. Cody resigned in October 2023. The settlement requires the City of Marion to pay Gruver and removes Cody’s name from the complaint, though Gruver continues to pursue other claims against Marion and its officials. Publisher Eric Meyer has also filed lawsuits against local law enforcement, emphasizing the need to protect democracy and the First and Fourth Amendments.