FOLLOWUP: Westboro Phelps clan fine reduced
original article
In a 52-page decision, U.S. District Judge Richard D. Bennett affirmed the jury's verdict in favor of the father of Lance Cpl. Matthew Snyder. Albert Snyder successfully sued the church for emotional distress and invasion of his family's privacy after Westboro Baptist Church members waved signs decrying homosexuality at his son's funeral in March 2006.
"There was more than sufficient evidence to support the jury's verdict that [Westboro's] conduct before, during and after the funeral of Matthew Snyder was outrageous [and] highly offensive to a reasonable person," Bennett wrote.
But the judge also more than halved the $10.9 million award announced in October to $5 million, noting constitutional concerns of appropriateness. He held up the jury's compensatory damage award of $2.9 million but reduced the total punitive damages to $2.1 million.
full article
comment by tom: Where was all the concern for the gay funerals (mostly AIDS victims) the Phelps clan picketed? They have been picketing gay funerals for many years. The military funerals is a more recent development.
In a 52-page decision, U.S. District Judge Richard D. Bennett affirmed the jury's verdict in favor of the father of Lance Cpl. Matthew Snyder. Albert Snyder successfully sued the church for emotional distress and invasion of his family's privacy after Westboro Baptist Church members waved signs decrying homosexuality at his son's funeral in March 2006.
"There was more than sufficient evidence to support the jury's verdict that [Westboro's] conduct before, during and after the funeral of Matthew Snyder was outrageous [and] highly offensive to a reasonable person," Bennett wrote.
But the judge also more than halved the $10.9 million award announced in October to $5 million, noting constitutional concerns of appropriateness. He held up the jury's compensatory damage award of $2.9 million but reduced the total punitive damages to $2.1 million.
full article
comment by tom: Where was all the concern for the gay funerals (mostly AIDS victims) the Phelps clan picketed? They have been picketing gay funerals for many years. The military funerals is a more recent development.
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