Reader comments
Lawyers for FLDS may sue over raid

The FLDS men have been licking their chops about suing over the raid. The word "may" wasn't even in the discussion. Count on a lawsuit or two or dozen.

As for being smart about it, the only thing the FLDS men and lawyers are concerned about is how much money they can milk out of Texas.

Whoever said crime doesn't pay, obviously never met the child-abusing FLDS men.

These people are entitled to compensation. Anyone would be after this type of non-sense.

I would love to see texas go bankrupt over this terrible error and violation on families rights. I can only hope this goes to the highest courts possible to set rules and regulations on future planned raids and violations of families rights.

The old saying crime doesn't may certainly doesn't apply in this case. The State officials committed crimes and now they should pay.
From the CPS officials judge shopping to gain a warrant with a nonexistant caller to the excuses used to detain adults the whole fiasco needs to be litigated untill the State admits guilt.
The habit of the State of Texas using power for the sake of power needs to be put to an end once and for all.

The crimes were committed by the Texas DPS. I hope they get their fingers burned real good!

[Smart about it?] You are one really bigoted individual. You've got every one of the men in that group already tried and convicted already. I think that they need to file suit and quit being so passive. It will set a precedent and show people not to tread on other's freedoms. They are indeed entitled to compensation.

As for 'immunity', I hope that they go after an international lawsuit for attempted genocide, and a federal suit for constitutional rights violations against individual and religious liberties. There is NO immunity from these charges (yet).

Wake up america! Government and/or government officials should NEVER be immune from prosecution from breaking it's own laws. If that becomes the 'norm', then it will be time for another Revolution to break the bonds of tyranny again, as our founding fathers did.

Two words: Utterly premature. Not only are Texas authorities immune, it is likely some children will be found to have been abused and some FLDS members indicted. Both outcomes will confirm that the state was not acting unreasonably when it removed the children, despite the appeals court's ruling. Furthermore, the FLDS' attorneys would have to prove actual damage, both to property and to the children. Both would be difficult to prove. The children were already living lives that were psychologically harmful for all of them. FLDS enforcers tried to prevent the police from entering the temple, making any damage to the door necessary. Furthermore, the temple is just a building. And Warren Jeffs? He is just a man.

I�m a physician at a small Emergency Room. Tonight I saw one of the children from the FLDS compound who was recently bused to a nearby community. I want to express to you my extreme concern about this baby and all of the very young children in this current situation. The child I saw was under two years old, has been separated from her mother and all familiar adults, taken away from familiar surroundings, and been the subject of intense scrutiny which the child can�t understand. Now the child is ill. I have never seen such a listless, subdued, sad toddler in my life. She doesn�t eat well and her caretaker thinks she may have been breastfed at home as she is so much trouble with bottles. She is losing weight. She doesn�t play with things. She is almost non-responsive to the strange adults around her. This is a child in profound mourning for the loss of her mother, who is sick and by all appearances is going to get sicker.
Why on earth can this mother not be here to comfort this baby? I am not exaggerating� when I say this child looks like she wants to die.

The above letter from a Dr. in Alvin, Texas tells of damage to a child that may never be repaired. He ended the letter with this plea: "Please do something to reunite at least these small infants with their mothers. This is so wrong."

I want to see these people compensated, but no amount of money or counseling will undo this atrocity.

Dude, your crazy. If the state came in with no proof, violated their own rules, ripped my two year old from my wife's arms, separated my four children into several foster homes, and TWO MONTHS LATER I get them back all emotionally distressed (let alone all the emotional stress this would cause my wife and I)- you better believe I'd sue the pants off em'!!!

Texas MUST pay big to ensure this doesn't happen to anyone else. I could care less about FLDS. This case has bigger implications for us all (all of us who think the constitution of this country means something and needs to be upheld!)

I still can't believe people are still ranting on about "child abuse", "welfare fraud", etc. I don't know if these things be true or not, but until there is some concrete PROOF (instead of emotionally misled assertions) I am going to reserve judgement and so should everyone else. You know good and well that would be the same way you would want to be treated if you were accused of something.

How can a group that is so openly breaking the law by living polygamy sue and not be afraid of being prosecuted themselves?

Is polygamy not against the law????

What leg do they have to stand on?

As to the temple no longer having the ability to be a temple..... that is just a way to get $$$$$$$$$ That is saying the building itself is HOLY not the spirit that they feel should abide there.

The articles written have consistently talked about the children being united with their "mothers" WHERE ARE THE FATHERS? Many were hiding out; afraid of ... what... If they had nothing to fear, they would have been out in the forefront fighting for the return of their children. (I know some of the monogamous men were.

Maybe damages to their temple and homes should be paid for. But from what I read they would not unlock doors... hence... the need to break them down.

The lawyers for the FLDS will have to skirt immunity issues. Far from "licking their chops" this is the only way the FLDS have of fighting back against the continued persecution they are suffering at the hands of the State government of Texas. I wish them all the success in the world.

To "Smart about it?"

I'm an Atheistic Jewish man living in New York City so I can't be accused of being an FLDS "filling" up the responses with pro-FLDS propaganda. I don't even like the FLDS; they seem strange and weird to me.

That said, "Smart about it?," I do know a witch-hunt when I see one, and this is a witch-hunt.

Texas changed its laws about the age of marriage and "who can marry who" all because the FLDS came to town.

CPS and Texas kept changing the accusations and the standards of proof and evidence.

Where are all the children who had broken bones, at a rate 18 times higher than the national average? That came and went pretty quickly.

The open-ended parole of the parents to get their children back when there have still been NO charges OF ANY KIND leveled at the FLDS.

The endless leaking of disinformation by the state on how it is the FLDS came by the ranch property.

The waffling of politicians who have no interest in enforcing the law they are sworn to uphold, but instead they cave in to the "majority of bigots."

Nothing very "Smart about it?" here!

Where is the ACLU when a minority religion has its Constitutional Rights ignored. Does the ACLU only support anti-Christian, anti-American causes?

These lawsuits should serve as a deterrent to Texas officials and others who would disregard constitutional protections and due process. Hopefully they will think twice before doing something this stupid in the future. You can't punish an entire community if a few of it's members are accused of a crime.

This is not about ( MONEY )
This is about JUSTICE.
Constitutional Rights.
Civil Rights and Rights to Liberty.
Texas has went to far and should pay
They have already spent 7 Million Dollars and proved they could up set young children removing them from their Mothers.
Texas will need to be responcible for the DAMAGE they caused
Every dime and dollar
It is time ignorant people learn from this TRAGITY
Did you notice Texas has some kind AMUNITY ?????
This is wrong.
That law is not good for those that have been violated by The laws of the State of Texas.
This is a good time to get these laws thrown out.
Like all States
A THREAT to the People they ( SERVE )????
America is running out of control
Those incharge have went to far.
They are now the number one threat to America.
Home Grown Terrorist

Smart About It - I see you're of an unconstitutional "Guilty until proven innocent" mindset. Moreover, you base your judgement on everything you read from the media! Were you there? Do you know which - if any - of these men abused their kids? How do you know?

You're obviously smarter than the judge who assessed all the evidence, saw that it didn't justify a raid, and ordered the children released.

If there was abuse, then by all means, it must be punished, but you need EVIDENCE of the abuse. Until then, the CPS was obviously motivated by suspicion and a prank phone call. FLDS should sock CPS/State of TX for punitive damages as well! Go get'em lawyers!

Never kick a giant unless you can kill it.

Yes, they will have trouble getting state courts to cough up, but every lawyer involved has to be living their chops about their prospects in federal court. Basic civil rights abuses are going to be easy to prove.

Again, more baseless accusations of child abuse. That won't get Texas far as a positive defense when they're trying to limit the damages for which they're liable.

YFZ ranch residents deserve compensation from the offending authorities for the horrible treatment that they have received. Of course its up to them to determine their course of action in that respect.

Its true that "crime doesn't pay," at least for the Texas authorities who carried out illegal actions against them, and are now millions of dollars in the hole for their efforts. I hope that they go a few more millions into the red, and that these millions help cover the damages done to the FLDS community.

But again, thats only my own opinion, and I'll be watching to see what actually transpires.