Dead Marine's father ordered to pay protesters' legal costs

[Midnight Mike]

30-March

The father of a Marine whose funeral was picketed by the Westboro Baptist Church says an order to pay the protesters' legal costs in a civil claim is nothing less than a "slap in the face."

"By the court making this decision, they're not only telling me that they're taking their side, but I have to pay them money to do this to more soldiers and their families," said Albert Snyder, whose son, Lance Cpl. Matthew Snyder, was killed in action in Iraq in 2006.

Members of the fundamentalist church based in Topeka, Kansas, appeared outside Snyder's funeral in 2006 in Westminster, Maryland, carrying signs reading "You're going to hell," "God hates you" and "Thank God for dead soldiers."

http://www.cnn.com/2010/CRIME/03/30/wes ... tml?hpt=T1 (http://www.cnn.com/2010/CRIME/03/30/westboro.baptist.snyder/index.html?hpt=T1)

[Jonesbeach]

Looks like Bill O'Reilly is picking up the tab for the legal costs. As much as I don't like him, I think Bill deserves a pat on the back for this.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/03/31/bill-oreilly-to-pay-court_n_520669.html

[gettysburgerrn]

Horrible decision- wonder what the Supreme court will do....what could he owe 16,000$ for anyway??

ken :?

[moose135]

Horrible decision- wonder what the Supreme court will do....what could he owe 16,000$ for anyway??

From the quoted article:

The 4th Circuit Court of Appeals on Friday ordered that Snyder pay more than $16,000 in costs requested by Westboro for copies of motions, briefs and appendices, according to court documents.

In a motion filed in October, Snyder's lawyer, who is representing him for free, asked the court to dismiss the bill of costs, or, alternatively, reduce the 50-cent fee per page or charge Snyder only for copies that were necessary to make their arguments on appeal.

So if someone sues you and loses, you should still be stuck with large costs for defending yourself, and the person who brought the suit shouldn't have any consequences? Doesn't this go against the call for "reforming" the legal system to stop frivolous lawsuits? If this case was the other way around - the organization sued the family for some reason, and lost, how many of you would be yelling that they should pay the family's court costs? The system has to work the same for everyone, regardless of your personal feelings about one party or the other.

[gettysburgerrn]

From my standpoint costs for frivilous suits are fine, presuming it is frivilous. In my opinion an individual's right to privacy at a funeral is greater than the public's right to protest at it (any funeral, any protest). Im no legal scholar (I guess that is why my application to the president for a Supreme court justice position was not acted upon)...just my opinion...

ken

[Mayi757]

America, where "the law" is more important than justice and common sense.

In my view this ruling is just as awful as the Westboro wackos are evil.