Phelps family being sued [View All]

Funeral protest trial begins
The Associated Press

BALTIMORE | A member of a fundamentalist Topeka, Kan., church that pickets the funerals of fallen soldiers said today that her group is trying to call attention to what it sees as the nation’s fall into moral decay.

But an attorney for Albert Snyder, the father of a Marine who was killed in Iraq, said the group’s presence at the 20-year-old’s funeral will forever disrupt the family’s grieving process.

For the rest of Albert Snyder’s life, he will not only think of his son’s death but also the protesters at the funeral, said attorney Sean Simmons, adding that he will present testimony from a psychologist who will describe the importance of funerals to the grieving process.

Albert Snyder, of York, Pa., is suing Westboro Baptist Church, whose members picketed the funeral of Lance Cpl. Matthew Snyder in March 2006. Snyder accuses the church and its members of invasion of privacy and intentional infliction of emotional distress and is seeking unspecified damages from the Rev. Fred Phelps and his church. U.S. District Judge Richard Bennett dismissed a defamation of character charge during pretrial motions.

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