TL;DR. Snopes was founded by a young married couple and was operated by them for many years, in addition to their day jobs. It was on the fringes till 9/11 when it began to gain more credibility. Eventually the couple quit their day jobs ti run Snopes and actually make some real money. Currently there are 13 staff, all working from home.
But a bitter divorce followed and new partnerships were formed. Mr. Snopes seems to be difficult to work with and while fact-checking is his job, he has a blind spot regarding some of his own behavior. Thus courts are involved and lawyers are making money. Mrs. (ex) Snopes seems to have garnered more sympathy from the writer than did Mr. Snopes.