Current:Home > InvestFormer reporter settles part of her lawsuit over a police raid on a Kansas newspaper for $235,000-LoTradeCoin
Former reporter settles part of her lawsuit over a police raid on a Kansas newspaper for $235,000
View Date:2024-12-23 22:56:03
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A former reporter for a weekly Kansas newspaper has agreed to accept $235,000 to settle part of her federal lawsuit over a police raid on the paper that made a small community the focus of a national debate over press freedoms.
The settlement removed the former police chief in Marion from the lawsuit filed by former Marion County Record reporter Deb Gruver, but it doesn’t apply to two other officials she sued over the raid: the Marion County sheriff and the county’s prosecutor. Gruver’s lawsuit is among five federal lawsuits filed over the raid against the city, the county and eight current or former elected officials or law enforcement officers.
Gruver’s attorney did not immediately respond to emails Friday seeking comment. An attorney for the city, its insurance company, the former chief and others declined to comment but released a copy of the June 25 settlement agreement after the Record filed an open records request. He also provided a copy to The Associated Press.
Former Police Chief Gideon Cody led the Aug. 11, 2023, raid on the newspaper’s office, the home of publisher Eric Meyer and the home of a then-city council member who had been critical of the then-mayor. Marion is a city of about 1,900 people set among rolling prairie hills about 150 miles (241 kilometers) southwest of Kansas City, Missouri, and the Record is known for its aggressive coverage of local government.
At the time, Cody said he had evidence that the newspaper, reporter Phyllis Zorn and the city council member had committed identity theft or other computer crimes in obtaining information about a local business owner’s driving record. All of his targets said they did nothing illegal, and no charges were ever filed.
A federal lawsuit filed by Meyer and the newspaper alleges that the raid caused the death the next day of his 98-year-old mother, who lived with him, and he and the paper’s attorney have suggested that the raid was Cody’s response to the paper investigating his background. Cody seized Gruber’s personal cellphone and had her desk searched; she had no connection to the driving record but was looking into Cody’s past.
The raid sparked national outrage, and Cody resigned as chief in early October, less than two months after the raid. Legal experts have said the raid likely violated state or federal laws.
veryGood! (75174)
Related
- Jennifer Lopez Gets Loud in Her First Onstage Appearance Amid Ben Affleck Divorce
- House Republicans select Steve Scalise as nominee for next speaker
- Confrontation led to fatal shooting at private party at Pennsylvania community center, police say
- New Zealand immigration hits an all-time high as movement surges following pandemic lull
- Birth control and abortion pill requests have surged since Trump won the election
- Kenya ends arrangement to swap doctors with Cuba. The deal was unpopular with Kenyan doctors
- Machine Gun Kelly Responds on Bad Look After Man Rushes Stage
- Hunter Biden judge agrees to drop old gun count after indictment replaces scuttled plea deal
- This is Your Sign To Share this Luxury Gift Guide With Your Partner *Hint* *Hint
- What was Hamas thinking? For over three decades, it has had the same brutal idea of victory
Ranking
- US Congress hopes to 'pull back the curtain' on UFOs in latest hearing: How to watch
- 7th charged after Korean woman’s body found in trunk, with 1 suspect saying he was a victim too
- Biden administration proposes rule to ban junk fees: Americans are fed up
- 2 women found alive after plane crashes in Georgia
- Katharine Hayhoe’s Post-Election Advice: Fight Fear, Embrace Hope and Work Together
- Who is Mary Lou Retton? Everything to know about the American gymnastics icon
- Scene of a 'massacre': Inside Israeli kibbutz decimated by Hamas fighters
- Families in Israel and abroad wait in agony for word of their loved ones taken hostage by militants
Recommendation
-
Denzel Washington teases retirement — and a role in 'Black Panther 3'
-
For the People, a comedy set in Minneapolis' Native community, to debut at Guthrie Theater
-
Sex education classes often don’t include LGBTQ+ students. New restrictions could make it worse
-
DJ Moore is first Bears wide receiver since 1999 to win NFC Offensive Player of the Week
-
Mark Zuckerberg Records NSFW Song Get Low for Priscilla Chan on Anniversary
-
Black student suspended over his hairstyle to be sent to an alternative education program
-
NHL says players cannot use rainbow-colored sticks on Pride nights
-
“Addictive” social media feeds that keep children online targeted by New York lawmakers