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November 01, 2007
Phelps Liable In Marines Funeral Protest
Kansas church liable in Marine funeral protest
BALTIMORE (Reuters)
A jury on Wednesday ordered an anti-gay Kansas church to pay $10.9 million in damages to relatives of a U.S. Marine who died in Iraq after church members cheered his death at his funeral.
Church members said Marine Lance Cpl. Matthew Snyder's death was God's punishment of America for tolerating homosexuality, and they attended his 2006 funeral in Maryland with signs saying "You're going to hell" and "God hates you."
The federal jury determined the Westboro Baptist Church, based in Topeka, and three of its principals invaded the privacy of the dead man's family and inflicted emotional distress.
Albert Snyder, the Marine's father, testified that his son was not gay, but the church targeted the military as a symbol of America's tolerance of gays. Matthew Snyder died in combat in Iraq in March 2006.
The jury awarded Snyder's family $2.9 million in compensatory damages plus $8 million in punitive damages in the first civil suit against the church, which has demonstrated at some 300 military funerals the past two years.
The lawsuit said church Web sites vilified U.S. soldiers, accusing them of being indoctrinated by "fag propaganda."
"I hope it's enough to deter them from doing this to other families. It was not about the money. It was about getting them to stop," said Snyder, of York, Pennsylvania.
The church, which is unaffiliated with any major denomination, is headed by Rev. Fred Phelps, who has led a campaign against homosexuality for years. Most of the estimated 70 members of the church belong to his extended family.
"It will take the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals a few minutes to reverse this silly thing," Phelps said.
His daughter and co-defendant, Shirley Phelps-Roper, vowed to continue protesting military funerals and called the court's decision a blow against free speech.
Outside court on Wednesday, Phelps and his children waved placards with slogans such as "Pray for more dead kids" and "God hates fag enablers," while passing drivers and pedestrians shouted abuse at them.
Defense attorney Jonathan Katz urged jurors not to award punitive damages because the $2.9 million in compensatory damages was already three times the defendants' net worth.
"It's enough already to bankrupt them and financially destroy them," Katz said.
Craig Trebilcock, an attorney for Snyder, said jurors should award sufficient punitive damages to deter Westboro from repeating its actions.
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Reaction of Fred Phelps on CNN over the Snyder verdict
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Wild Thing's comment........
This is from one of the Patriot Guards :
"Being in the Patriot Guard, I have personally witnessed this so-called “distance” where they don’t disrupt things. One funeral was for SGT Fuga in Independence, MO. The Westboro Baptist Church was placed 300 feet from the services. But that placed them around the parking lot of where the family parked, easily an ear shout distance from the family. Shirley Phelps and the gang sing SO loudly (things like God Hates America or the Marine Corps song with the lyrics that “Marine Corps fags coming home in body bags”) that you can hear them for blocks.When this does start to occur at the funerals, the Patriot Guard will place their motorcycles in front of them to drown out their voices. If they were so far away and not disruptive, I guarantee you that the Patriot Guard would NEVER get to close to them. We’d rather keep our distance.
At the funeral for Kevin Ziegler in Kansas City, they were on the busy intersection where the family would pass to get to the funeral. As the family passed, they yelled out to the family that Kevin was in hell. I heard that, and I was at least 150 feet away at the time."
Posted by Wild Thing at November 1, 2007 12:45 AM
Comments
The best news all year, "Defense attorney Jonathan Katz urged jurors not to award punitive damages because the $2.9 million in compensatory damages was already three times the defendants' net worth.
"It's enough already to bankrupt them and financially destroy them," Katz said."
Tough Shit!!! Not only should they be held liable they also should lose their exemp tax stayus, they are not a church, the Church is only a front for their radical political faction.
Posted by: Jack at November 1, 2007 05:22 AM
Hoo-frickin-Ah!!! made my year!!
My favorite is the bagpipers that showed up at one of the earlier protests and drowned them out so the family wouldn't here them.
I think psychological testing is in order here. If I were Mr. Snyder's lawyer, I would have ordered a lot of tests.
Oh, I would have loved to have been the judge on this one.
Posted by: yankeemom at November 1, 2007 07:01 AM
I wonder if George Soros or some other left wing organization will pay for them. After all, Phelps is a Democrat, former fund raiser for Al Gore, and former Democrat candidate for Governor of Kansas.
Posted by: BobF at November 1, 2007 07:25 AM
Phelps and his inbreds are assholes. He is most likely a closet queer. I agree with Jack. His tax exemption should be taken away.
Posted by: TomR at November 1, 2007 07:58 AM
The Westboro Baptist Church is NO church of God.
God loves wondrous variety, that's why he made us all so different. He loves us all, no matter who we are or what we do. He still loves us.
Phelps needs to back off!
He's no man of God.
Posted by: Lynn at November 1, 2007 09:26 AM
Agree with all of the above. Last year, in my hometown of Huntsville, AL, we had a tragic school bus accident in which six teenagers died. Guess who showed up at their funerals? And this had nothing to do with Irsq or the military. Phelps and his gang are spoiled-brat publicity whores, throwing tantrums in public.
Posted by: Cousin Dave at November 1, 2007 10:15 AM
Like information about Patriot Guards.
I hope Phelps is the only tenant in the Hell he proscribes for so many others. He created it, let him live there. Actually, I think he just one more sad case of "look at Me!" I wonder if he can find enough gullible fools to refill his coffers. If the rest of that universe is any indication, he probably can. Preying (praying for ?)the fears and hopes of the poorly raised (minds, not cash), is a multi-million dollar media money maker opportunity for religion draped predators.
"Those who claim to know the Truth are Very Irritating to those of us who do."
Douglas Keachie
Posted by: Douglas Keachie at November 1, 2007 02:38 PM
Keeping out the Phelps crowd is easy.
If the local police refuse to provide them with protest security, and just tell them to dial 911 if they get in trouble, the Phelps crowd is always a no-show.
They know exactly what will happen if they try to dance on the dead without a state escort.
Posted by: Kristopher at November 1, 2007 03:34 PM
Jack I agree, I wish they would be punished somehow. The hurt they have caused and their lies is unforgivable.
Posted by: Wild Thing at November 2, 2007 12:37 AM
Yankeemom, me too, I would have really laid into them if I was the judge and relished every second of it.
They also said 9-11 was our fault. Everything about those Phelps people is totally sick and evil.
Posted by: Wild Thing at November 2, 2007 12:42 AM
Bob, Soros probably loves this guy.
Posted by: Wild Thing at November 2, 2007 12:44 AM
Tom yes that would be a great idea.
Posted by: Wild Thing at November 2, 2007 12:45 AM
Lynn I agree he is no man of God, more like a man of the devil.
Posted by: Wild Thing at November 2, 2007 12:46 AM
Cousin Dave,oh wow how horrible. You so right about how they show up at all kinds of things and not only the military funerals. Like Katrina too they did the same thing.
I am so sorry about what you shared about that Phelps and his ilk did that.
Posted by: Wild Thing at November 2, 2007 12:48 AM
Douglas Keachie, yes, I think they are going to go to a special place in hell just for them.
Posted by: Wild Thing at November 2, 2007 12:51 AM
Kristopher, thanks, I think the police dislike the Phelps people too.
Posted by: Wild Thing at November 2, 2007 12:52 AM
