Kansas Newspaper Sues Over Police Raids, Claims Stress Led to Co-owner’s Death

Joan Meyer died of a sudden cardiac arrest one day after the raids.

The last printed issue of the Marion County Record sits in a display in its office in Marion, Kan., on Aug. 13, 2023. John Hanna/AP Photo

A small local newspaper in Kansas, along with its publisher, filed a lawsuit over controversial raids conducted in August last year, accusing local officials of retaliating against them and violating their First Amendment rights.

The Aug. 11, 2023 raid on the office of the Marion County Record, a weekly newspaper founded in 1869, and the home of its owner and publisher Eric Meyer sparked widespread criticism among major news organizations and journalism advocacy groups.