Suit against funeral protesters goes to jury

Suit against funeral protesters goes to jury
By Alex Dominguez - The Associated Press
Posted : Tuesday Oct 30, 2007 19:00:34 EDT

BALTIMORE — Jurors began deliberating Tuesday whether members of a fundamentalist Kansas church should be held liable for picketing at a Marine’s funeral.

Albert Snyder, of York, Pa., is seeking unspecified monetary damages for invasion of privacy and intent to inflect emotional distress during the March 2006 burial of his son, Lance Cpl. Matthew Snyder, in Westminster.

Church members have picketed at funerals nationwide.

A number of states have passed laws regarding funeral protests, and Congress has passed a law prohibiting protests at military funerals at federal cemeteries, but the Maryland suit is believed to be the first filed by the family of a fallen serviceman.

Church members say they are following their religious beliefs by spreading the message that the deaths of soldiers are due to the nation’s tolerance of homosexuality and they are protected by the First Amendment, which guarantees freedom of speech and religion.

In an emotional summation that brought Snyder to tears at times, plaintiffs attorney Sean Summers asked jurors to use their common sense, saying his client has to live forever with the memory of protesters carrying signs reading “God hates fags,” and “Pope in hell” at the funeral.


Rest of article at: http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/news/2007/10/ap_funeralprotesters_071030/