Craig Trebilcock Obtains $11 Million Verdict Against Military Funeral Protestors
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In a case that garnered national and international headlines, firm attorney Craig Trebilcock implored the jury in a Baltimore federal courthouse to render a verdict against the Westboro Baptist Church in an amount "that says don't do this in Maryland again. Do not bring your circus of hate to Maryland again." The jury returned a verdict of nearly $11 million in favor of Albert Snyder, the grieving father of Marine Lance Cpl. Matthew Snyder, who was killed in Iraq. The award included $2.9 million in compensatory damages and $8 million in punitive damages against the Kansas-based church, whose members believe that U.S. military deaths in Iraq are punishment for the nation's tolerance of homosexuality.
Mr. Snyder filed the suit after a protest last year at his son's funeral. Church members picket the funerals of military personnel killed in Iraq and Afghanistan and carry placards with slogans celebrating the deaths of American soldiers and denouncing homosexuals. While the church maintained that the protests constitute protected free speech under the First Amendment, Mr. Snyder's claim that they intruded upon what should have been a private ceremony was vindicated in court. The defendants were found liable for invasion of privacy and intentional infliction of emotional distress.
Craig is a shareholder in the firm and a Colonel in the U.S. Army Reserves. He has served overseas in conflicts including the war in Iraq and the conflict in Bosnia-Herzegovina. He handled the case for Mr. Snyder pro bono.
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