I wasn’t going to write about the Michigan man who is suing Thomas Nelson Publishers and Zondervan for putting out Bibles, but I’ve thought of something that needs to be said. Here’s the story, from the Grand Rapids Press:
A Canton man is suing Zondervan Publishing and a Tennessee-based publisher, claiming their versions of the Bible that refer to homosexuality as a sin violate his constitutional rights and have caused him emotional pain and mental instability.
Bradley LaShawn Fowler, 39, is seeking $60 million from Zondervan, based in Cascade Township, and $10 million from Thomas Nelson Publishing in the lawsuits filed in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan.
Fowler filed the suit against Zondervan on Monday, the same day U.S. District Judge Julian Abele Cook Jr. refused to appoint an attorney to represent him in his case against Thomas Nelson, a Tennessee publisher.
Fowler filed a suit against Thomas Nelson in June. He is representing himself in both claims.
“The Court has some very genuine concerns about the nature and efficacy of these claims,” the judge wrote.
Fowler alleges Zondervan’s Bibles referring to homosexuality as a sin have made him an outcast from his family and contributed to physical discomfort and periods of “demoralization, chaos and bewilderment.”
The judge is being kind, of course. James Dobson has a better chance of getting elected president of the ACLU than Fowler has of winning this suit. What I don’t understand is why any judge would allow this suit to even be filed. Thomas Nelson and Zondervan have no reason to think they will lose, but they nevertheless still have to pay lawyers to defend them against what’s essentially a nuisance suit, the kind of thing that would get a real lawyer cited for contempt of court for filing it. It’s basically an attempt at extortion by lawsuit, and to even hear it will undoubtedly encourage other crackpots (imagine if gay activists figure out that filing nuisance suits claiming Bible-based “emotional distress” is a good way to drive independent Christian bookstores out of business, or to get them to pay up to make it go away). Judge Cook needs to tell Fowler that if he ever tries to bring another such action in his court, he’ll see to it that Fowler has to pay the defendants’ lawyers fees. That would put an end to this nonsense in a big hurry.
Posted by David Fischler 
