Phelps family being sued

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.

more . . . http://www.kansascity.com/news/breaking_news/story/329526.html

Although, that's exactly what Phelps wants. At least we know his God wont be rooting for him in court.

...The reverand Fred Phelps AND his children are all attorneys. They tie things up in courts forever.

I was just saying recently that people ought to sue them.

...It's about time the fight was taken to them.

Someone's going to take care of Freddy one of these days. My bet is that some parent/fellow soldier of one of his targets is going to be overcome with emotion and have a moment of.... uh, "passionate indiscretion".

I don't think there is a jury in the entire country that would vote to convict.

Hey.....I'm just sayin'...... :evilgrin:

This is legal, and it makes fucking sense! You go Snyder!

go to http://www.matthewsnyder.org and read the response by Phelps lawyers to the suit.

Some of the answers just had me scratching my head and saying :wtf:

I just looked at the defendants' (Phelps family) original answer.

They don't know how to do a General Denial! That's the first thing you file in your defense. They could have done all that denying in ONE PAGE. IDIOTS!!!

It goes as follows: Title: Defendant's Original Answer.

"Defendant(s) deny each and every, all and singular, allegations of Plaintiffs and demand strict proof thereof. Defendant(s) pray that Defendant be granted Summary Judgment and that Plaintiff go hence without day."

Signed by Counsel.


That's not a typo. It means Plaintiff go home the same day the summary judgment is granted. A summary judgment for Defendant means that there are no fact or legal issues in the case. (not likely in this case).



Side note:
I can type this stuff out of my head, I'm an attorney without bar card, I used to be a legal secretary, and have legalese in my genes and my blood and can't find a job as a paralegal????? What middle class????

the caskets arrivng from Iraq but this excuse for a Christian has full access to a very private moment to torment the family....your Republican administration at work.

I'd never really seen an interview of any length with this punk-ass microcephalic clown.

Then I saw a movie called Small Town Gay Bar. Netflix has this as a watch-it-now streaming video (you get some free with subscription - I'd never used it before, but it was pretty painless). The movie was ok, but Phelps was over the freakin top. I hadn't realized that this dude is nuttier than squirrel shit.

Honestly, he probably should be medicated rather than beaten, the guy isn't right, you know... upstairs.

BTW, it IS offensive when you keep calling RWers gay.

Not that you give a shit.

I find that very funny. :D

Edit: by the way I am not offended by your racism and lack of humor. I just think it is sad.

...to the rest of us how these readers of the bible differ from the others? Oh, wait they do it in the open, and the 'real' xtians do it in the back rooms buying politicians, boycotting non-xtians, gays, off colored people.

I sincerely hope this suit goes all the way, and bankrupts the Phelps...peraps it will put a little of the fear of 'god into the rest of the religious groups.

and I resent your implication that he and I are the same.

And I resent that you paint us with a broad brush and lump me with the POS.

Just like not all Democrats are against the war, not all Christians are for the war. I want to see Fred bankrupted and stopped, because he gives other Christians a bad name when he does stupidity like this.

speaks for all Christians or that we should somehow reign him in. Reigning him in is a job for the law, though the bikers who ride around the country to protect soldier's funerals from the Phlepses have a good idea.

and their rules state, other than parking their bikes between the WBC and the funeral, that there is to be ZERO interaction.

I like their idea.

Whatever we think of the war, the families of those who die serving in our military deserve peace at their child's/spouse's/parent's funeral. They didn't start the war and many are in the military due to the "economic draft," not because they want to be in combat.

To protest at funerals is just about the lowest thing I can think of. It is NOT what Jesus would do.

differ from other Christians, then you don't have eyes, ears or a heart. Nobody is as vile as Fred Phelps. He's a disgusting animal. (No offense to animals out there.)

And I, too, hope that the lawsuit succeeds and bankrupts the Phelps family. Then they won't have any means to get the PR that they currently get.

He's a nut who uses religion as an excuse for his pathological hatred.

The Phelps family is probably one of the worst families in America. But they deserve 1st amendment protection also. I understand why the family of the soldier is doing this, but if we don't give the Phelp's the right to protest, who get that right taken away next?

but you still have to be responsible for your actions.

The lawsuit is for mental cruelty, slander, and libel in that Phelps claims this Marine's parents, among other things, were engaged in adultery and signed a pact with Satan. That is why he and the WBC are being sued.

Where did you get that information? Do you got another article? I guess if that is the case, and the phelp's family has no proof of adultery, they might have a case for slander. But if they are just suing because they are offended by signs like "your son is hell" and all the other crazy stuff they have, I dont think they should win. I believe in complete freedom of speech, even if it is offensive. And it is the Phelp's family religous beliefs that troops are in hell, and while many people believe that is offensive, I believe that the 1st and 14th amendment gives them the right to believe whatever religious beliefs they want to.

"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."

Free speech doesn't automatically absolve anyone of these crimes.

And for the invasion of privacy, did they step foot on the cemetery? If they did, they would have a case there. But I assume that the phelps family always stays inside the "free speech zones/" (which I believe are unconstitutional but thats another story for another day...) If they stayed on public property and were doing purely political and religious protesting, what privacy was violated? Since when did the right to privacy on public property trump your constitutional right to protest?

Incidentally, I think you may have misunderstood my position: I suppotr the right to sue the Phelps's, but I don't support awards where none is actually merited.

When you read the lawsuit, there are accusations (#21 through #25) that states that the Phelps accused the Snyder family of commiting the acts.

On edit, the exact wording is a little different than what I stated. The exact wording from the complaint is located at http://www.matthewsnyder.org/Complaint.pdf

When they claim he is "raising him for the devil" It is the Phelps' relgious belief that the Catholic church is a Satanic religion. The 1st amendment gives them the right to say so. And about the adultery claims, Fred Phelps claims that divorcing and remarrying is adultery. Are either of his parents divorced? I need more information. Again, I believe it is Fred Phelps religious right to call someone who remarried an adulterer, if that is the case here.


And I read through the complaint and it says nothing about the Phelps family actually going on private property during the funeral, or going to their house. Also the death of a Marine is public record, so I dont think they got a very strong privacy considering he never went on private property or revelied private information or stalked them.

Then it is about the government infringing on free speech. It would be a case of the government awarding a family money because they were offended. It is my belief that the 1st amendment is more important than a person's right to not be offended.

And it's not a case of being awarded for offense - there is no basis for such a suit.

I agree wiith you that the 1st amendment is more important than a person's right to not be offended - primarily because there is no right to not be offended.

charges, none of which aere automatically negated by Free Speech.

It seems like Phelps is stepping over the line.

right of citizens to sue.

they are so slanderous and crazy and evil; but there doesn't seem to be a way to stop them, does there?

I once saw a TV programme, where Louis Theroux interviewed Phelps' daughter, and she replied to one of his questions: "Not a chance, pooh-pooh pants!" Very adult - and this was on TV! The problem is that these idiots still manage to spread their insanity, in person and on the internet.

I didn't appreciate Phelps saying that we deserved the July 2005 bombings because we allowed civil partnerships for gays; and of course the things he said about the tsunami, and his picketing of soldiers' funerals, are yet more disgusting. I believe he's not welcome in Sweden because he threatened violence against their government - he seems to hate Sweden even more than other countries.

gay.

Wouldn't that be poetic justice!?! :evil: