Westboro Church finally taken to court...

[Newbunkle]

Great news about the scum being sued. I hope the other families they put through hell sue as well. Phelps is getting what he deserves.

 

[JollyRoger]

Nice to see people finally backing plaintiffs getting a muti-million dollar verdict. Good thing tort "reform" didn't stop this case from going forward.

 

[RedRalph]

Weird... didnt think it was possible to find a thread where I'm agreeing wholeheartedly with Mobboss and Skadistic et al, but there you go... serves the subhuman scumbags right. I'm just astonished no one has ever killed any of them. I mean talk about your enemy makers... stooping to this is just beyond belief

 

[Madroc]

Nice to see people finally backing plaintiffs getting a muti-million dollar verdict. Good thing tort "reform" didn't stop this case from going forward.

LOL!

JollyRoger, have you seen any decent media coverage of this? What exactly did the plaintiffs allege? Was intentional infliction of emotional distress their only cause of action? What are the elements of IIED in that jurisdiction? Did the trial judge publish any opinions deniying motions to dismiss for failure to state a claim/grant SJ/grant JMOL? Even the CNN article just talks about the jury verdict. I have yet to be satisfied with media coverage of any lawsuit.

I can't stand WBC, but I hope they win this one and I would bet that they will. Even if the judgment stands, moreover, I'm quite certain that they're judgment-proof.

 

[JollyRoger]

LOL!

JollyRoger, have you seen any decent media coverage of this? What exactly did the plaintiffs allege? Was intentional infliction of emotional distress their only cause of action? What are the elements of IIED in that jurisdiction? Did the trial judge publish any opinions deniying motions to dismiss for failure to state a claim/grant SJ/grant JMOL? Even the CNN article just talks about the jury verdict. I have yet to be satisfied with media coverage of any lawsuit.

I can't stand WBC, but I hope they win this one and I would bet that they will. Even if the judgment stands, moreover, I'm quite certain that they're judgment-proof.

I have only followed the case here and through the links posted. Not even the Wall Street Journal law blog has touched it and that blog hits a wide variety of cases (everthing from Wall Street litigation to the judge suing his drycleaner for millions). No doubt that whatever happens, the plaintiffs will likely never see a penny.

 

[Norton II]

Every time I read anything involving this church, I die more and more inside. they're a hate group. list their members as registered sex offenders. List the group as a terrorist organization. do WHATEVER it takes to stop this abhorrent practice

Doing WHATEVER it takes is tempting, but not such a good idea in the long run. If Phelps and his followers can be classified as sex offenders or terrorists merely for holding abhorrent opinions and expressing them in an abhorrent manner, who will be the next "sex offenders"/"terrorists"?

 

[Stevenpfo]

How can a Friday get any better? this is how:

Jury awards grieving father $11 million in verdict against funeral protesters

 

[Neomega]

Honestly,

I think this lawsuit is frivolous. Much like the lawsuit against the Nazi compound.

Dont care to debate it, and I dont support nazis or phelps, but I think this is a sign of a judicial punishing people for having unpopular opinions.

 

[LightFang]

They're gonna be bankrupted! Woo!

 

[Japanrocks12]

Honestly,

I think this lawsuit is frivolous. Much like the lawsuit against the Nazi compound.

Dont care to debate it, and I dont support nazis or phelps, but I think this is a sign of a judicial punishing people for having unpopular opinions.

what do you do against people causing emotional distresses, especially when this sort of duress is inflicted on mourners at every funeral like this?

 

[Eran of Arcadia]

Well, I would just view it as one of the drawbacks of free speech. Because nothing is ever truly free. And I have relatives in Iraq, so I could see this happening to me.

 

[Newbunkle]

Is it really against free speech though? Does it stop him saying what he wants in his church, in the street, on radio or TV? No, he can continue to do that. I'm sure if he was being sued for protesting outside a supermarket the verdict would have been different. As said earlier in the thread, you can't yell fire in a crowded theatre. There should be limits on where you can protest.

 

[Bronx Warlord]

I'd slug this guy once for the family of each and every servicemember who's had a funeral disrupted. Just disgusting.