Jury awards father $11M in funeral case

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Jury awards father $11M in funeral case

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 ****."
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 *** 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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Could it be they were pleased with the verdict?
 
wil...
I saw this on another news site and they mentioned that the church was from Topeka, KS.
Isn't this the same church that used to stage demonstrations at abortion clinics which often became violent ? Topeka rang a bell in my head.
Didn't they call themselves the lambs of G-d ? Just asking.

flow....:confused:
 
Why would they be pleased?

Great to see them getting a little come-uppance.
 
Namaste Flow and Impqueen,

I don't know if it is the same group or not.

As for why could they be pleased, all conjecture mind you, but I believe it possible that they agree with many of the ideas of this church/preacher but not the in your face outward acts that are done. It could be that they hope to back off of the public stunts.
 
first of all this kind of demonstration brings out all the "only in america..." syndrome. Regardless of what you think about the war in Iraq and regardless on your views on Homosexuality, to invade a funeral is disgusting. A families grief is personal and in my view is no way a public affair. This kind of demonstrating is insulting to the family and the deceased (regardless of how he died). Quite frankly these people(demonstraters) need to be locked up. I know that in america people are allowed to have their free speech, so are we here is Australia but if that went on over here, those demonstraters would have been hospitalized. Fair dinkum, you guys have really blown me away on this one.
 
The "Operation Rescue" people (anti-abortion protesters) and "Westboro Baptist Church" (the "God Hates ****" group) are not the same, although it is not coincidence that both came out of Topeka.
 
yes patti, I know they are everywhere but we really do have a saying.... only in america... and these bunch of losers have proved it well and truly. Here they wuld have been beaten up and once the cops realized what was goin on they probably would have had tolock them up for their own safety. Its like those shows that the usa is famous for.... ricky lake.... jerry springer.... Here we dont go on national tv and tell our spouse we are having an affair with their partners best friends,bisexual, interracial crossdressing father. We go to the pub , tell our mates, get beat up by some well meaning interferer and then go home and apologise. or just leave. eithere way, is better than on national tv.
 
greymare said:
Regardless of what you think about the war in Iraq and regardless on your views on Homosexuality, to invade a funeral is disgusting. A families grief is personal and in my view is no way a public affair. This kind of demonstrating is insulting to the family and the deceased (regardless of how he died).
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Extremists will be extremists. I don't think there's anything we can do to convince them it's wrong. These people want to prove they're smart, intelligent and normal and they think that's what they are so what are we to do about it? They want to be heard.:eek:

greymare said:
Quite frankly these people(demonstraters) need to be locked up. I know that in america people are allowed to have their free speech, so are we here is Australia but if that went on over here, those demonstraters would have been hospitalized.
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Racism is condemned in America, but it seems that there are no laws to criminalise political/religious/ideological/cultural vilification, unlike what happened here with the Catch The Fires ministries.

greymare said:
Fair dinkum, you guys have really blown me away on this one.
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Ah, you're Australian. G'day to you!!!!

greymare said:
Here we dont go on national tv and tell our spouse we are having an affair with their partners best friends,bisexual, interracial crossdressing father. We go to the pub , tell our mates, get beat up by some well meaning interferer and then go home and apologise. or just leave. eithere way, is better than on national tv.
Click to expand...

I remember a few weeks ago there was some "Wife Swap" show. I never really watched it, just saw glimpses of it. Can't recall if it was Australian or American.

Just last night . . . the "Spy Shop: Keeping Australia Safe" show. A kid who goes around spying on people follows some guy and finds out that the guy he was following went home to have sex with his mother, who had, recently, split up with his dad. He and the guy aren't so fussed about it. The guy he followed was rather good-humoured about it and the kid -- he thought it was pretty funny, exposing personal family matters. The mother is furious, yelling for him to get out, leave them and take the camera with him.

I don't know if it was fictional (just an act) or if it's actually real life. The Green Guide says it's a comedy series . . . so . . . hmmmm.

We have had Jerry Springer here too actually. It was on one or two years ago. Yeah . . . rather fun to watch.:D

. . . and what about Big Brother?

We get quite a few foreign sex shows around here . . . in Victoria. You're in Queensland, so . . . I don't know what you're getting over there.
 
oh we get the "reality tv shows" big brother, idol and all those. I dont think much of them. Jerry springer was a laugh (surely they werent serious) I mean if you want to yell at someone you really dont have to take your shirt off to do it..!!!!!!! never heard of the spy show... actuallly the only "real" show I like is Worlds Deadliest Catch. you know the crab fishin show. Awesome. and police chasers adn dumbest criminals etc.... I wouldnt know anything about sex shows.LOL
 
greymare said:
first of all this kind of demonstration brings out all the "only in america..." syndrome. Regardless of what you think about the war in Iraq and regardless on your views on Homosexuality, to invade a funeral is disgusting. A families grief is personal and in my view is no way a public affair. This kind of demonstrating is insulting to the family and the deceased (regardless of how he died). Quite frankly these people(demonstraters) need to be locked up. I know that in america people are allowed to have their free speech, so are we here is Australia but if that went on over here, those demonstraters would have been hospitalized. Fair dinkum, you guys have really blown me away on this one.
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Unfortunately, a military funeral is public. In fact, any funeral, that is not relegated to a private home and a private burial plot, is public. And in the United States, anyone can say anything they wish (there comes a price when the rights of one encroach upon the rights of another, as is in this case). However, it should also be known that this case has been brought to an appeals court, and will most likely be overturned.

v/r

Q
 
Westboro were featured on a UK program - Louis Theroux - and from what we could see, it's basically some old grandad exercising aggressive control over his large family, so they must do what he says, or else. Once he goes, there won't be much left of Westboro as a church IMO.
 
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