Westboro Baptist Church Case Study

Albert Snyder, Matthew Snyder’s father, filed suit against Westboro Baptist Church. Originally, he sued Fred Phelps, Phelps’s daughters and the church claiming five different torts: defamation, publicity given to private life, intentional infliction of emotional distress, intrusion upon seclusion, and civil conspiracy. Of these five, three of them initially held ground in court. The district court ruled that defamation and publicity to private life could not be adequately proven. (Snyder v. Phelps)

The court found Westboro Baptist Church liable for millions of dollars on the tort charges of intentional infliction of emotional distress, invasion of privacy, and civil conspiracy. Westboro fought the verdict by claiming it was “grossly excessive

Since the First Amendment protects chiefly speech on public issues, depending on the case, there could be special protection for the defendant. It is not necessarily clear what defines a public issue, but it can generally be considered if it is “relating to any matter of political, social, or other concern to the community.” (Snyder v. Phelps) It is unimportant if the statement is inappropriate or controversial. Since the matter of Westboro’s signs relate completely to public matters, it cannot be directly assumed that phrases were meant to directly attack Snyder or his family. Also, while the statements made by Phelps and Westboro as a whole might be outrageous and crude, they are views of public concern. (Snyder v.

While the picketing was done in regards to a private funeral, Phelps and his church were a good distance away from the service. Snyder even claims that he could only see the tops of the picketers signs from the funeral. Also, “there is no indication that the picketing interfered with the funeral service itself” (Snyder v. Phelps).

Since Snyder cannot recover on the claim of intrusion on seclusion, he also cannot recover on civil conspiracy. “Because the First Amendment bars Snyder from recovery for intentional infliction of emotional distress or intrusion upon seclusion—the allegedly unlawful activity Westboro conspired to accomplish—Snyder also cannot recover for civil conspiracy based on those torts.” (Snyder v.