Second Reporter at Kansas Newspaper Files Lawsuit Over Controversial Raids

Marion County Record reporter Phyllis Zorn is seeking $950,000 in damages and attorney’s fees.

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 second reporter at a small local newspaper in Kansas has filed a lawsuit over controversial raids in August last year, alleging her constitutional rights were violated.

Phyllis Zorn, an award-winning reporter at the Marion County Record, filed the lawsuit in the US District Court in Kansas City on Feb. 6, alleging a violation of her constitutional rights to freedom of the press and protection against unreasonable searches.