Lawyers for the father of a Marine who died in Iraq say a court has ordered him to pay legal costs for the anti-gay protesters who picketed his son’s funeral. The protesters are led by Fred Phelps of Westboro Baptist Church in Topeka, Kan. The father, Albert Snyder of York, Pa., had won a $5 million verdict against Mr. Phelps, but it was thrown out on appeal. On Friday, the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, in Maryland, ordered Mr. Snyder to pay the costs of Mr. Phelps’s appeal. The United States Supreme Court agreed earlier this month to consider whether the protesters’ provocative messages, which include phrases like “Thank God for dead soldiers,” are protected by the First Amendment.
The bill comes to $16,500.
A fund has been set up to help Snyder pay the court costs. None of the money will go to attorneys, who are representing him pro bono. To contribute, go to www.matthewsnyder.org. Or send a check payable to "Al Snyder Fund" to the following address:
Barley Snyder LLC
100 East Market Street
York, PA 17401
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