Westboro Baptist Church and its leaders may be worth more than they reported in the federal lawsuit in which a jury decided they must pay nearly $11 million in damages, attorneys representing the plaintiff said.
Westboro and its three leaders reported a net worth of less than $1 million combined, according to court documents.
“There?s a gap in the income they?re declaring and what they?re spending; it?s like the Grand Canyon,” said Craig Trebilcock, an attorney for Albert Snyder, who sued the church after its members protested the funeral of his son, fallen Marine Lance Cpl. Matthew Snyder.
“We will chase them forever if it takes that long,” said Sean Summers, another attorney for Snyder. “If they have to sell the church, we will go after them.”
A jury found Westboro and three members from Topeka, Kan., liable for intentional infliction of emotional distress, invasion of privacy and civil conspiracy for protesting Cpl. Snyder?s March 2006 Westminster funeral.
Church members say they believe God is punishing America for its tolerance of homosexuality by killing its troops in Iraq.
Westboro Baptist Church Inc., registered as a charitable organization, is worth $386,000; its founder, Fred Phelps, about $231,000; his daughter, Shirley Phelps-Roper, $271,000; and another daughter, Rebekah Phelps-Davis, $107,000, according to court documents the church filed.
The attorneys who argued the lawsuit for Albert Snyder say the net worth could be larger than reported.
The church relies on tithing, or donations, for income, members testified.
Of its 70 members, about 50 are family members, they said, and most are either lawyers or work for the state of Kansas.
“Ten-point-nine million dollars may as well be 2 trillion, because they don?t have any money,” said the Rev. Dan Davidson, whose services at St. David?s Episcopal Church in Topeka have been protested by Westboro members for at least 15 years. “If it helps to put them out of business, that?s a pretty good thing.”
Meanwhile, at the Westboro complex, police investigated a bomb scare Thursday.
Topeka police said they removed from the complex two suspicious devices that turned out to be fireworks that failed to go off.
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