RSSFather of Slain Marine Lance Cpl. Matthew Snyder Wins $11 Million Verdict against Westboro Baptist Church Funeral Protesters
Westboro Baptist Church loses $11 million verdict; however, they have a greater judgment to face down the line.
Its about time and thank you God. The father of slain Marine, Lance Cpl. 
Matthew Snyder, has won an $11 million verdict against the heinous funeral protectors from the Westboro Baptist Church. It is almost unbelievable and beyond words that anyone would do such a thing at a funeral of a fallen hero.
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.” (Yahoo News)
Albert Snyder sued the Westboro Baptist Church for unspecified damages after members demonstrated at his son’s funeral in March 2006 who was killed in Iraq.
A Baltimore federal jury awarded nearly $11 million Wednesday to the father of a Marine killed in Iraq, deciding that the family’s privacy had been invaded by a Kansas church whose members waved anti-gay signs at the funeral.
It was the first-ever verdict against Westboro Baptist Church, a fundamentalist Christian group based in Topeka that has protested military funerals across the country with placards bearing shock-value messages such as “Thank God for dead soldiers.”
They contend that the deaths are punishment for America’s tolerance of homosexuality and of gays in the military.
The founder of the Westboro Baptist Church had other ideas after hearing the verdict that was leveled against him and his organization. His mere words makes one truly know what is important to him. There is just one to many references to “me” in his comments.
Fred W. Phelps Sr., Westboro’s founder, vowed to appeal to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit, in Richmond, Va.
“It’s going to be reversed in five minutes,” he said. This case, he added, “will elevate me to something important,” as it draws more publicity to his cause. (Baltimore Sun)
More comments on the verdict from the following blogs:
- Jawa Report: Westboro Nuts Out 12 Million. Updated
- Captains Quarters: There is a God, And He Doesn’t Like Fred Phelps
- Stop the ACLU: Video: Fred Phelps Freaks Out at Rick Sanchez Over Losing Snyder Suit
- Michelle Malkin: Breaking: Father of slain Marine wins case against foul Phelps family
Posted November 1, 2007 by Scared Monkeys Bizarre, Crime, Deceased, heroes, Iraq, Judicial, Military, WTF | 14 comments |
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14 Responses to “Father of Slain Marine Lance Cpl. Matthew Snyder Wins $11 Million Verdict against Westboro Baptist Church Funeral Protesters”
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About time.
Read here: Phelps and his daughter are lawyers.
Could they be trying to inflame ppl so much that people assault them and they then sue? That’s the rumors going on.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Westboro_Baptist_Church
They are denigrating the family whose son gave his life? And see it as some kind of divine punishment?
I wish the names of these scum would be published in local newspapers; that way, people would know who to spit on.
In line with this … there was a story out yesterday that State Department staffers are irate that they will be assigned to Iraq as needed.
Whatever one thinks of the Iraq war, the military seem mainly to do the job without complaining.
The State Department, whom I believe also are paid by and (supposedly) work for our country, are indignant that they should have to share the risks without any say-so in the matter.
Who deserve more of our country, given this mindset, the State Department pooh-bahs or the military?
And who get more?
I think we’re headed for a fall….
I am so glad that this finally came through! I live in Colorado, which thankfully already has a law in place banning protesting within 100 feet of a funeral. I think it should be a national law, and I think it should be 500 feet!!! These people are sad, pathetic & disgusting. Not only are they very mentally unstable, if you read anything about them (the article posted above by Miss-Underestimated is a good one) they teach such hatred. It’s amazing that people like this actually believe things so strange!
HOO RAY for this family….how dare these ppl do this. They are lucly it wasnt my family member…Disgusting. To use Gods name on those posters..This group needs to be sent to LIERUBA.
Can I not die in peace without offending?
Glad to hear it.
If you know someone coming back from Iraq or a family who is burying a U.S. soldier and want some patriotic intervention against such an assault, check out the Patriot Guards. I don’t have the web address, but I found them online without a problem.
While their protesting does infuriate me, my anger is exponentially multiplied because those people are doing this in the name of Christianity.
Those Westboro “Baptist” people aren’t worthy of standing in a pile of our honorable fallen soldiers $#!T !!!
Thank you Boida, I should have thought to mention that. Using pseudo-Christianity to hurt or hate is deplorable. We often hear criticism of Muslims who don’t denounce the actions of terrorists, so Christians should remember to speak out about actions such as this. If you want to protest the war in Iraq, the U.S. Constitution guarantees your right to do so. To do it in a way that inflicts so much suffering on families of fallen U.S. soldiers, protecting that right, is unjustifiable. Those soldiers are also protecting our right to practice our religion without fear of death.
Here’s to Mr. Synder collecting 100% of the award! (I hope he does…)
Agreed, Michelle#3, it should be 500 feet, and it should be nationwide. No protests should be permitted at any funeral, and certainly not a soldier’s funeral. These “church” people have been causing trouble for a long time. I saw their website a few years ago and it was frightening. I am a Christian, but would not, could not, associated with such hatemongers. Very sad day in the USA.
The Marines at the gates of heaven will sort out the ones who have disgraced ower nation under god.
These a(edit)holes finally got plucked. They’re lucky it wasn’t a member of my family, they wouldn’t have made it out without getting horribly beaten, possibly some of them to (edit).
Our freedom to assembly is an extremely valuable and powerful aspect in the function of our government. In this instance the freedom to assembly absolutely is dwarfed in seriousness and importance. Lance Cpl. Matthew A. Snyder’s funeral should have taken great precedent to this obscene exercise of the first amendment. This man served for our country and deserved to receive respect. Creating vulgar signs, taunting and disrespecting this man’s last moments with his family is absolutely shameful. The first amendment most certainly was not created for this distasteful display. There is a time and place fore everything, and during a fallen soldier’s funeral clearly is not one of them. There are limitations to our first amendment for this exact reason. Mr. Snyder is extremely deserving of his asking for a $5million award. The precedent used to compare in this case is in no way, shape or form similar to the degree of loss, despair and disrespect that occurred in this instance. This style of assembly is designed to pray on the weak in order to get publicity and notoriety, not to aid the governmental process.
[...] the Westboro church frequently protest at funerals of soldiers with signs containing messages like “Thank God for dead soldiers” and “Thank God for 9/11,” claiming the deaths are God’s punishment for American immorality [...]