$10.9M Verdict Against Funeral-Protesting Church

CNN reports that a jury has awarded nearly $11 million to the family of a deceased Marine whose funeral was picketed by the Westboro Baptist Church (which somehow blames the deaths of American soldiers on the United States becoming more accepting of gay people).  The suit included claims for defamation, invasion of privacy, and intentional infliction of emotional distress.  Among the signs at the funeral were “Thank God for dead soldiers” and the like. CNN also has the complaint [PDF].  The church will appeal.

In case you want to hear a little bit more about the church, a local-to-me radio show did a lengthy interview with Jonathan Phelps, who’s related in some way to the church founder Fred Phelps.

Update: NYT’s Opinionator has a bunch of links to reactions.
–BC