A grieving father
won a $2.9 million verdict Wednesday against a
fundamentalist Kansas church, which pickets military
funerals out of a belief that the war in Iraq is a
punishment for the nation's tolerance of
homosexuality.
Albert Snyder of
York, Pa., sued the Westboro Baptist Church for
unspecified damages after members demonstrated at the March
2006 funeral of his son, Lance Cpl. Matthew Snyder,
who was killed in Iraq.
U.S. district
judge Richard Bennett noted the size of the award for
compensating damages ''far exceeds the net worth of the
defendants,'' according to financial statements filed
with the court. The jury was to deliberate later on
punitive damages.
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.''
A number of
states have passed laws regarding funeral protests, and
Congress has passed a law prohibiting such protests at
federal cemeteries. But the Maryland lawsuit is
believed to be the first filed by the family of a
fallen serviceman.
The church and
three of its leaders -- Fred Phelps and his two daughters,
Shirley Phelps-Roper and Rebecca Phelps-Davis -- were found
liable for invasion of privacy and intent to inflict
emotional distress.
Snyder claimed
the protests intruded upon what should have been a private
ceremony and sullied his memory of the event.
The church
members testified they are following their religious beliefs
by spreading the message that the deaths of soldiers are due
to the nation's tolerance of homosexuality.
Their attorneys
argued in closing statements Tuesday that the burial was
a public event and that even abhorrent points of view are
protected by the First Amendment, which guarantees
freedom of speech and religion.
The judge said
the church's financial statements, sealed earlier, could
be released to the plaintiffs.
Earlier, church
members staged a demonstration outside the federal
courthouse. Church founder Phelps held a sign reading ''God
is your enemy,'' while Shirley Phelps-Roper stood on
an American flag and carried a sign that read ''God
hates fag enablers.'' Members of the group sang ''God
Hates America'' to the tune of ''God Bless America.''
Snyder sobbed
when he heard the verdict, while members of the church
greeted the news with tight-lipped smiles. (AP)