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Westboro Baptist Church sued for $11 million

Cassie

Cassie

Touching the monolith
Staff member
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071031/ap_on_re_us/funeral_protests



By ALEX DOMINGUEZ, Associated Press Writer Wed Oct 31, 6:23 PM ET

BALTIMORE - A grieving father won a nearly $11 million verdict Wednesday against a fundamentalist Kansas church that pickets military funerals out of a belief that the war in Iraq is a punishment for the nation's tolerance of homosexuality.

Albert Snyder of York, Pa., sued the Westboro Baptist Church for unspecified damages after members demonstrated at the March 2006 funeral of his son, Lance Cpl. Matthew Snyder, who was killed in Iraq.

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.

Snyder's attorney, Craig Trebilcock, had urged jurors to determine an amount "that says don't do this in Maryland again. Do not bring your circus of hate to Maryland again."

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.

The church and three of its leaders — the Rev. Fred Phelps and his two daughters, Shirley Phelps-Roper and Rebecca Phelps-Davis, 46 — were found liable for invasion of privacy and intent to inflict emotional distress.

Even the size of the award for compensating damages "far exceeds the net worth of the defendants," according to financial statements filed with the court, U.S. District Judge Richard Bennett noted.

Snyder 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 soldiers are dying because the nation is too tolerant of homosexuality.

Their attorneys maintained in closing arguments 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.

Earlier, church members staged a demonstration outside the federal courthouse. Church founder Fred Phelps held a sign reading "God is your enemy," while Shirley Phelps-Roper stood on an American flag and carried 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.
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As much as I hate the WBC idiots, I don't see how this can be upheld.
 
Fuck the money. It's the verdict that counts for now.

I love how even they acknowledge that their behavior is "abhorrent"...when they are in fact protesting against behavior they think is "abhorrent"... *sigh*
 
Hypocrite asshole church sued for 11 million for protesting at troop's funeral? Sounds fair.

I believe in God, and Christ even, but there's no doubt that religion has caused an assload of probelms over the years. Pricks like these do more to hurt their faith than any "fag" ever dreamed of.

I think if God was handing out punishments he would go for those greedy hypocrites in Washington, and behind the pulpits before he'd bother some guy who does other guys.

1 Peter 4:17
 
Dershocka said:
Hypocrite asshole church sued for 11 million for protesting at troop's funeral? Sounds fair.

I believe in God, and Christ even, but there's no doubt that religion has caused an assload of probelms over the years. Pricks like these do more to hurt their faith than any "fag" ever dreamed of.

I think if God was handing out punishments he would go for those greedy hypocrites in Washington, and behind the pulpits before he'd bother some guy who does other guys.

1 Peter 4:17
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These people give Christians a bad name, but they are US citizens like everyone else and are therefore protected by the First Amendment.
 
I'm with Cassie. The verdict completely abrogates the intention of the First Amendment, and violates the Constitution.

Does anyone even refer to the fucking document anymore when handing down judgements like this? Free speech is just that.

Cover your fucking ears if you don't want to hear it.
 
Let's not confuse the issue either here. It's not about the Free Speech itself, which may be completely tasteless and abhorrent. It's about what Free Speech means. The right to have it means the right to use it as you see fit.

Don't let eight years of Bush numb you that much. People have the right to insult the sensibilities of others, it's part of the cost of having the freedom. It's a messy democracy, not perfect.
 
They'll probably get it overturned on appeal anyway. Plus, this ruling doesn't change anything, it's still not illegal to protest at funerals in Maryland, and I'm sure these WBC scumbags are well aware of the laws before they do their thing.

People should really be careful before they enact legislation against free speech, that is one of our fundamental rights in this country.
 
Phelps and his bastard scum crew can speak freely. So can I. I can meet a friend in a public park, use my free speech to ask him nicely, enact free enterprise by paying him some money, and he'll go hunt down that scum Phelps and give him new holes in his head.
 
This was a civil judgement. It's not like there's a law stopping them from protesting outright. But rights come with responsibilities, and free speech has consequences not covered by criminal law. That's show biz.
 
I wonder if all donations made to the church will now have to go to Albert Snyder.
 
It is obvious that Phelps and his scum have not contemplated the meaning of the words in the Bibles they thump. There is no where in there where God hates homosexuals. God's issue is with rapist, people who think their free will gives them the right to usurp other people's free will. That is evidenced in the stories of Noah and the curse on Ham and the destruction of the cities of Soddom and Gomorrah. God's message, which was reiterated by Jesus, was for us to love one another. No where did God or Jesus command - Love everyone but homosexuals.

Phelps bases his right to spew his brand of vile "Free Speech" at funerals on the "Public Forum Doctrine." I do not agree that a funeral is a public forum. It is by custom and law that we bury our dead the way we do and it is a private matter. Phelps and his scum admit they did not know the deceased, it was just an opportunity for them to spread their message about their belief.

Yes, protecting our right to free speech is important. Having the right to speak freely means we have the right to say no, or to say yes, to defend ourselves, to tell our side, to put in our 2 cents worth, to agree, or to disagree, to witness and confess, to speak the truth, to make our viewpoint known without fear of reprisal from person's who have more power than us.

Tell me why Phelps and his scum have a right to call their actions protected free speech and the family and loved ones of the deceased have no right not to be harassed and abused by Phelps and his scum?

Phelps and his scum are vile opportunists who accosted a private citizen under the guise of protected religious speech. Neither their speech nor their actions should be protected. They are just thugs, people who think their free will gives them the right to usurp the free will of others.

When Phelps dies, I think I'll travel to his grave and salt the damned place then douse it with holy water blessed by a gay priest.
 
Wheezie's got a good point.

From Wikipedia:

Etiquette
Generally speaking, the number of people who are considered obliged to attend each of these three rituals by etiquette decreases at each step:

Distant relatives and acquaintances may be called upon to attend the visitation.
The decedent's closer relatives and local friends attend the funeral or memorial service, and subsequent burial (if it is held immediately after the memorial service).
If the burial is on the day of the funeral, only the decedent's closest relatives and friends attend the burial service (although if the burial service immediately follows the funeral, all attendees of the memorial service are asked to attend).
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eloisel said:
When Phelps dies, I think I'll travel to his grave and salt the damned place then douse it with holy water blessed by a gay priest.
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Let's have a pro-gay marriage rally at his funeral!
 
Eggs Mayonnaise said:
I wouldn't lose any sleep over it. ;)

It's how they got O.J. even though he walked.
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Oh I'm not losing any sleep over this. I hope they are going to take all the donations from the church. And I know it was the same type of deal that happened to O.J. I just wonder if the WBC is going to cause states to enact legislation to hamper free speech. One thing we do not need in this country is more laws taking away our basic rights.

Hopefully, if they keep doing this, they'll get sued repeatedly in civil court. Sued right out of existence. It has to cost a lot of money to be as evil as they are.
 
I think you will see more states enact legislation to put a stop to this kind of harrassment at funerals. I don't consider that an unfair hampering of free speech if the statutes continue along the same vein - prevent protesting 1 hour before and 2 hours after within 300 yd. of a funeral, memorial service, procession, burial. The rights of the people involved in the burial of their dead to not be molested need to be equally protected.

Shirley Phelps-Roper, Phelps' daughter, on the 300 yd. rule:

"The U.S. Supreme Court has spoken on this issue, and they can't put us out of sight and sound of our targeted audience. If they don't like what they see, they need to drink a frosty mug of shut-the-hell-up and avert their eyes.”

Her viewpoint is she has free speech rights but no one who disagrees with her has those same rights.

Where my concern over free speech rights is with the use of the word nigger by whites in public and private forums. As is evidenced with the latest news of Duane Chapman aka Dog the Bounty Hunter, he can't even have a private conversation wherein he can say what he wants without losing his show. What I find even more shameful about that is Dog asking Al Sharpton for forgiveness like Sharpton carries the whole of authority for the black people of the world. If Sharpton is where the buck stops, then he needs to get busy apologising and making amends for the black people that offend with their actions and words.
 
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