Father of Dead Marine Ordered to Pay Westboro Cult's Court Costs …Update: How to Help
Posted by Jim Hoft on Tuesday, March 30, 2010, 5:22 AM
Westboro cult leader Fred Phelps uses children at his funeral protests.
The father of a Marine who gave his life for his country in Iraq is being forced to pay the Westboro cult’s court costs.
The Baltimore Sun reported, via FOX Nation:
Lawyers for the father of a Marine who died in Iraq and whose funeral was picketed by anti-gay protesters say a court has ordered him to pay the protesters’ appeal costs.
On Friday, the Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit ordered that Albert Snyder of York, Pa., pay costs associated with Fred Phelps’ appeal. Phelps is the leader of the Westboro Baptist Church, which conducted protests at the funeral of Snyder’s son, Marine Lance Cpl. Matthew Snyder, in Westminster in 2006.
Lawyers for Snyder say the Court of Appeals has ordered him to pay $16,510.80 to Phelps for costs relating to the appeal, despite the fact that the U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to review the Court of Appeals’ decision.
They say that Snyder is also struggling to come up with fees associated with filing a brief with the U.S. Supreme Court.
“We are extremely disappointed,” said Sean E. Summers, an attorney for Snyder. He added that the U.S. Supreme Court will likely hear the case during its October term and make a decision in June of next year.
“The Court of Appeals certainly could have waited until the Supreme Court made its decision,” Summers added. “There was no hardship presented by Phelps.”
Summers said there is no timetable for when the costs must be paid, but if his client doesn’t have the money when Phelps requests payment the matter would go into collections. Snyder could lose his property or his wages, Summers said.
Marine Lance Cpl. Matthew A. Snyder
Died March 03, 2006 serving during Operation Iraqi Freedom
20, of Finksburg, Md.; assigned to Combat Service Support Group 1, 1st Marine Logistics Group, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Twentynine Palms, Calif.; died March 3 from a non-combat-related vehicle accident in Anbar province, Iraq.
Here is a copy of the court case against cult leader Phelps.
UPDATE: I called Sean E. Summers law offices this morning and asked how we can help. They already set up this website– http://www.matthewsnyder.org/.
You can donate to the Snyder family– here.
You can also send the family an email– here.
ADVERTISEMENT
-
Featured Story:
Busted!… Obama Headlined a DEMOCRAT SOCIALISTS OF AMERICA Event in 1996 **FLIER**
Published May 24, 2012 at 8:46 pm - 65 Comments
ProLifer commented:
WHAT?
neomom commented:
If there was ever a need for a money bomb, this is it.
Marka in the Keys commented:
The founder of the Westboro Baptist Church is supposedly a Democrat. Does anyone know about this? I believe it is a group intending to make Christians look hateful.
Marka in the Keys commented:
I just answered my own question by going to LIVE LEAK, where Phelps’s democrat ties are listed: He ran for several offices as a Democrat.
Militant Conservative commented:
The more you look under the rug the more democrat roaches you find. This is sickening, lost his son now this? You can only take so much from a man before he breaks.
Carrie Maiorano commented:
Just made a donation….I hope people will rally around this family and help them defeat this ruling. Many thanks to the Snyder family for their son’s service to the country.
twellsy commented:
Is it any wonder people go off the deep end and start kickin’ azz. What an outrage.
Just Another Conservative Hater commented:
Well, I hope Phred Felps dies very soon, and that thousands of people go to rejoice at his funeral. Loudly, and with fireworks.
Opus #6 commented:
This is wrong. Talk about adding insult to injury.
Just A Grunt commented:
The thing is I would love to help the Snyders out, but I don’t want one dime to go to those scum sucking, oxygen thieves at Westboro. Quite a quandary.
Rock commented:
These self serving low life’s and their lawyers are a prim example of the rot that infects America today. Socialist showing their true colors. Beyond that, is there a link for giving financial aid to this family, I’m sure no help is forth coming from the President or any of his Hope you can count on thugs?
Brendon Carr commented:
I wish Jim would write with greater care. Nowhere in this post is there any indication of any reason why the Snyder family would owe the hateful Westboro “Baptist Church” any money for court costs.
rider commented:
is it time for phelp’s “baptist church” to lose its 501 c3 standing?….he’s using more than 5% for political ops..
if he has more $$$$ than “church” donations – where are they coming from? –
Thank you for the site to help Lance Cpl. Snyder’s father…
R
Robb76 commented:
Just made a donation. Jim thanks for doing this.
Robb
US Army-Retired
bg commented:
++
“You ain’t seen nothin’ yet!” BHO
wait until the Islamists sue US for their rioting..
as it is, they sue US for everything else anyways..
not kidding..
==
Richard Romano commented:
Un.Be.Liev.Able.
Truly shocking — we must donate to help this military Dad.
A disgrace — I despise this apostate Westboro group.
USMC Steve commented:
What legal basis does the court have for forcing the plaintiff to pay for the defendents’ legal fees? I am assuming the outcome of the trial was against the Phelps morons or they would not be appealing anything. Given that, what authority does the court have for making such a ruling? The Phelps clan are assmonkeys, this is typical of them. The true outrage should be at this extralegal ruling by the court. Someone should be hammering on them in any manner possible.
Ladue Pundit commented:
I saw the Phelps bunch across from St. Clare’s Parish in Ellisville, MO. It was a Saturday and the traffic on Clayton Rd. was a standstill. When we got near the church (it was a military funeral) the Phelps goons, complete with toddler in a stroller, were holding disgusting signs.
I do not know why the resident who lived along the sidewalk where the Phelps protestors were standing did not run their sprinklers full blast.
I would like to see every family whose funeral was marred by this Satan make a class action suit.
Normally these signs would be hate speech, but it’s clear that the courts hate Christianity and the military more than they love homosexuality.
Valerie commented:
Brendon Carr
March 30th, 2010 | 8:12 am | #14
I wish Jim would write with greater care.
Check the original story, and if you can then tell me the basis for the award, be my guest.
Reporters tend to do two things with news about legal actions: 1) leave out the vital information or 2) get it wrong.
In this case, they left it out.
There is a precedent problem with this kind of case: there is not a lot of law, even indirectly on point. That, however, would not be a decent basis for an award for appeal costs.
Think4Yourself commented:
Remember this case when you’re evaluating any proposal to limit access to the courts or to require losers to pay winners’ court costs.
Think4Yourself commented:
Valerie, the basis for the award is that Phelps won on appeal to the Circuit Court. An appeal to the Supreme Court is pending.
Valerie commented:
If you go to the website put up by the law firm, you can find some of the documents associated with the case. It does not yet have the order for this award of attorney’s fees.
It is abundantly clear that Mr. Snyder won at trial, so it is hard to see how the Phelps group should be entitled to their attorney’s fees on appeal, especially since the Supreme Court has taken up the case.
Tevan Orgly commented:
C’mon, everybody knows that there are no anti-homosexual democrats!
Kevin P commented:
This Westboro group reminds me of “Catholics for Choice”. CfC is founded and funded by non-Catholics. I wonder who is funding this group – run by a man who has tried to run for elective office as a democrat.
Seems to me thier goal is the same as CfC’s.
Rick commented:
May Fred Phelps burn in hell!
A_Nonny_Mouse commented:
Let me quote Mr. Bumble (a character in Charles Dickens’ Oliver Twist): “If the law says that, the law is a ass!”
blr2449 commented:
I donated what I could in the hopes it will help disable this group and prevent them from causing more distress to families of those brave men and women who gave their lives.
Owlman commented:
This is NOT a Democratic or a Republican issue. It is an issue of religion, or more specifically, the PERVERSION of Christianity. Didn’t Jesus tell us that the second greatest commandment was to “Love our neighbors as ourselves”? Where is the Christian love in these vicious protests? I certainly do not see it!
Don Rodrigo commented:
What legal basis does the court have for forcing the plaintiff to pay for the defendents’ legal fees?
Good question. I know this is established practice in Britain, but not here — unless I missed something. Perhaps it’s left up to judicial discretion in some jusrisdictions. If so, why would a judge to something as dumbfounding as punish the father of a dead Marine villified by the defendants?
SadInTopekaKS. commented:
Screw the Phelps – they are an embarrassment to the city of Topeka. For this, I am sorry. It’s their own law firm who represents them. Let it go to collections. Can’t get blood out of a turnip. What a mis-carriage of justice.
colette51 commented:
“But last fall an appeals court reversed the $5 million verdict, ruling the church’s protests were protected by the First Amendment.”
(source: http://www.stoptheaclu.com/2010/03/09/westboro-cult-creeps-go-to-supreme-court/)
My educated guess is that when the appeals court reversed the earlier decision in favor of Phelps & Co, the court penalized Mr. Synder. Snyder was ordered to pay court costs of Westboro Baptist Church associated with filing the briefs to the appeals court.
I wonder how his family would feel if there were protesters at HIS funeral or that of one of his family. Fortunately, I think the majority of us would abide by the Golden Rule: “Do Unto Others As You Would Have Them Do Unto You.”
Joanne commented:
Thank God for IED’s????? WTH!
These people are sick – they can’t even tell the difference between God and Satan.
Dixie commented:
Where is the kool-aid when you need it?
This sounds like a really bad nightmare. It makes me sick.
Tim H commented:
Bill O’Reiley just said on his show that he will pay the 16 grand the man is charged with paying.
scott commented:
I just donated 25 bucks, hope others do the same, and GOD BLESS the SNYDER family.