Now, That's Justice!
It's about time the courts got serious about protecting people's rights. All rights -- not just the right to free speech.
When you get in someone's face with the intention of causing emotional distress, it's no longer free speech. It's invasion of privacy. It's also assault. Among other things.
The jury was to begin deliberating the size of punitive damages after receiving further instructions, although U.S. District Judge Richard Bennett noted the size of the compensatory award "far exceeds the net worth of the defendants," according to financial statements filed with the court. (emphasis mine)
And that is a good thing. Maybe now, the precedent has been set. Maybe now, homophobic and interfering cretins like the Phelps family and their in-bred church will leave other people alone.
Maybe now, people who are harrassed outside abortion clinics will also have access to the same remedies Albert Snyder had. Those of us who value individual freedoms can only hope so.
This is not the first time a jury has awarded damges to the plaintiff in excess of the defendant's current net worth. OJ Simpson will be paying off his debt until the seventeenth millenium.
Rock on, Justice!
More here. And here.
When you get in someone's face with the intention of causing emotional distress, it's no longer free speech. It's invasion of privacy. It's also assault. Among other things.
The jury was to begin deliberating the size of punitive damages after receiving further instructions, although U.S. District Judge Richard Bennett noted the size of the compensatory award "far exceeds the net worth of the defendants," according to financial statements filed with the court. (emphasis mine)
And that is a good thing. Maybe now, the precedent has been set. Maybe now, homophobic and interfering cretins like the Phelps family and their in-bred church will leave other people alone.
Maybe now, people who are harrassed outside abortion clinics will also have access to the same remedies Albert Snyder had. Those of us who value individual freedoms can only hope so.
This is not the first time a jury has awarded damges to the plaintiff in excess of the defendant's current net worth. OJ Simpson will be paying off his debt until the seventeenth millenium.
Rock on, Justice!
More here. And here.
posted by Chimera at 1:52 PM
4 Comments:
Score one for the good guys. Someone sent me link about the suit, but I didn't know it had been settled. And we carp about Muslims being fanatics and crazy. What those "Christians" did is sick and disgusting. If the deity is really anything like the deity they believe in, I want no part of it.
There are "freaks" and "extremists" in every religion or large group of any kind for that matter. The only common factor is they are all human. Religion has very little to do with it. And no I am not Christian... more of an Agnostic than anything. The only "God" I truly believe in is the dyslexic one... "Dog"...
This court case did one thing. It gave these freaks more exposure and that is what they wanted in the first place. I call it the "Madonna syndrome". It works, just ask any of the many so called "stars" out there that have followed her example to stardom... The more outrageous you are the more attention you will get from the media.
I sure hope the family can collect every penny awarded to them. Enough is enough of this crap!
The Phelps family is just looking for more publicity, so it is a win situation for them as far as they are concerned. I don't think they have any intent on paying, and are looking forward to some prison time. They probably see themselves as martyrs - fighting against the rest of the world in the name of god, and destined to die in a blaze of glory.
Personally, I would like to encourage them to martyr themselves in such a way that doesn't hurt anyone else. It doesn't matter if its "suicide by police" or the ever-popular poisoned kool-ade, but, ideally, they should each be crucified for the complete martyrdom experience.
That, I believe, would be a win-win situation all around. :)
Aw, shit, Dez, please don't wish that on the cops. Seriously, it is a shattering event to kill someone, even if it is completely justified. I say we send them lots of kool-ade.
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