In October of 2007 the father of slain Marine, Lance Corporal Matthew Snyder, was awarded $6 million in punitive damages for invasion of privacy and $2 million for causing emotional distress as a result of a lawsuit filed against the hideous group from Topeka, Kanas calling themselves the Westboro Baptist Church (WBC). WBC, headed up by Fred Phelps and his wife Shirley, targeted Lance Cpl Snyder’s funeral with vitriolic signs as they have with other military funerals. The victory for the Snyder family, however, was short lived, as the suit was thrown out on appeal by the Fourth Circuit.
A further blow to the Snyders came this week, when federal judges ordered the Snyder family to pay $16,510 to Mr. Phelps as the Snyders pursue a Supreme Court case. The high court agreed earlier in March to hear the Snyders’ appeal. The American Legion Burn Pit has set up a site to help the Snyder family pay for their legal costs.
According to the American Legion Burn Pit, within eighteen hours of setting up the fundraising site, $5,000.00 was raised.
