Fred Phelps Loses $2.9 Million Lawsuit
BALTIMORE (AP) -- A federal jury on Wednesday awarded the father of a fallen Marine $2.9 million in compensatory damages after finding a fundamentalist Kansas church and three of its leaders liable for invasion of privacy and intent to inflict emotional distress for picketing the Marine's funeral in 2006.
The jury was to begin deliberating the size of punitive damages after receiving further instructions, although U.S. District Judge Richard Bennett noted the size of the compensatory award "far exceeds the net worth of the defendents," according to financial statements filed with the court.
Albert Snyder of York, Pa., sued the Westboro Baptist Church for unspecified monetary damages after members staged a demonstration at the March 2006 funeral of his son, Lance Cpl. Matthew Snyder, who was killed in Iraq.
Church members routinely picket funerals of military personnel killed in Iraq and Afghanistan, carrying signs such as "Thank God for dead soldiers" and "God hates fags."
A number of states have passed laws regarding funeral protests, and Congress has passed a law prohibiting such protests at federal cemeteries, but the Maryland lawsuit is believed to be the first filed by the family of a fallen serviceman.
Snyder's suit named the church, its founder the Rev. Fred Phelps and his two daughters Shirley Phelps-Roper and Rebecca Phelps-Davis, 46. The jury began deliberating Tuesday after two days of testimony.
The York, Pa. man claimed the protests intruded upon what should have been a private ceremony and sullied his memory of the event.
The church members testified they are following their religious beliefs by spreading the message that the deaths of soldiers are due to the nation's tolerance of homosexuality.
Their attorneys argued in closing statements Tuesday that the burial was a public event and that even abhorrent points of view are protected by the First Amendment, which guarantees freedom of speech and religion.
The judge said the church's financial statements that had been unsealed could be released to the plaintiffs.
Earlier, church members staged a demonstration outside the federal courthouse, which is located on a busy thoroughfare a few blocks west of Baltimore's Inner Harbor, while passing motorists honked and shouted insults.
Church founder Fred Phelps held a sign reading "God is your enemy," while his daughter Shirley Phelps-Roper stood on an American flag while carrying a sign that read "God hates fag enablers." Members of the group sang "God Hates America,"' to the tune of "God Bless America."
Snyder sobbed when he heard the verdict while members of the church greeted the news with tightlipped smiles.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...103102278.html
Maybe this will m ake these idiots stop what they are doing now a precedent has been set, if not, i hope to see a lot more lawsuits against them :thumbsup:
Regards,
Lee
Jury awards father $11M in funeral case (Update)
The jury first awarded $2.9 million in compensatory damages. It returned in the afternoon with its decision to award $6 million in punitive damages for invasion of privacy and $2 million for causing emotional distress.
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Lee
BALTIMORE (AP) -- A federal jury on Wednesday awarded the father of a fallen Marine $2.9 million in compensatory damages after finding a fundamentalist Kansas church and three of its leaders liable for invasion of privacy and intent to inflict emotional distress for picketing the Marine's funeral in 2006.
The jury was to begin deliberating the size of punitive damages after receiving further instructions, although U.S. District Judge Richard Bennett noted the size of the compensatory award "far exceeds the net worth of the defendents," according to financial statements filed with the court.
Albert Snyder of York, Pa., sued the Westboro Baptist Church for unspecified monetary damages after members staged a demonstration at the March 2006 funeral of his son, Lance Cpl. Matthew Snyder, who was killed in Iraq.
Church members routinely picket funerals of military personnel killed in Iraq and Afghanistan, carrying signs such as "Thank God for dead soldiers" and "God hates fags."
A number of states have passed laws regarding funeral protests, and Congress has passed a law prohibiting such protests at federal cemeteries, but the Maryland lawsuit is believed to be the first filed by the family of a fallen serviceman.
Snyder's suit named the church, its founder the Rev. Fred Phelps and his two daughters Shirley Phelps-Roper and Rebecca Phelps-Davis, 46. The jury began deliberating Tuesday after two days of testimony.
The York, Pa. man claimed the protests intruded upon what should have been a private ceremony and sullied his memory of the event.
The church members testified they are following their religious beliefs by spreading the message that the deaths of soldiers are due to the nation's tolerance of homosexuality.
Their attorneys argued in closing statements Tuesday that the burial was a public event and that even abhorrent points of view are protected by the First Amendment, which guarantees freedom of speech and religion.
The judge said the church's financial statements that had been unsealed could be released to the plaintiffs.
Earlier, church members staged a demonstration outside the federal courthouse, which is located on a busy thoroughfare a few blocks west of Baltimore's Inner Harbor, while passing motorists honked and shouted insults.
Church founder Fred Phelps held a sign reading "God is your enemy," while his daughter Shirley Phelps-Roper stood on an American flag while carrying a sign that read "God hates fag enablers." Members of the group sang "God Hates America,"' to the tune of "God Bless America."
Snyder sobbed when he heard the verdict while members of the church greeted the news with tightlipped smiles.
Maybe this will m ake these idiots stop what they are doing now a precedent has been set, if not, i hope to see a lot more lawsuits against them :thumbsup:
Regards,
Lee
The Church's Press release...
Gotten from http://www.godhatesfags.com, the ministry's intar-webb page.
Westboro Baptist Church
(WBC Chronicles -- Since 1955)
3701 S.W. 12th St. Topeka, Ks. 66604 785-273-0325 www.godhatesfags.com
Religious Opinion & Bible Commentary on Current Events
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
NEWS RELEASE
(Supplemental info: background, photos, audio sermons & hymns, and video footage – available free at
www.godhatesfags.com, www.godhatesamerica.com, www.hatemongers.com & www.signmovies.net)
Thank God for the $10.9 Million Verdict!
In His compassion, for the last 17 years, God has sent His servants – the apple of His eye -
from this humble little church, to warn you DAILY to flee from the wrath to come. You –
Doomed America – have mocked, vilified, prosecuted, persecuted, sued, and otherwise
abused His ambassadors (2Chronicles 36:16). You have done it despite all of your laws, and
your great flowery words about freedom! You have done it against your own interest, Doomed
America! You have tried to destroy the church of God, misusing all of the powers of
government, even while God has daily sent you adumbrations of His wrath. You have torn to
shreds the First Amendment, in an effort to silence the Word of God, which reeks of death to
you! (2Corinthians 2:16)
Through all of these efforts, you have accomplished only one thing – your dark, hateful hearts
have been hardened by the God that made you, and put the breath of life into your nostrils.
The standard of God has not changed! Your children, whom God has bereaved you of, are
still dead, and more are slaughtered each day! America is still doomed! Katrina still
happened! California is still on fire! Dramatically worse, and more is coming! What you did
NOT do is silence the preaching of God’s servants in the earth! We will continue to warn you
of your impending doom as long as our God gives us breath. Not only did you fail to stop
our preaching, but our message has gone forth to the ENTIRE WORLD on this day,
because of your folly, like never before! Thank God for the $10.9 Million Verdict!
