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Merged David Coppedge is suing the Jet Propulsion Laboratory for 'religious discrimination'

Questioninggeller

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David Coppedge is suing the Jet Propulsion Laboratory claiming religious discrimination because of his support for intelligent design. The Discovery Institute has been busy issuing press releases ("Coppedge is suing JPL and Caltech for religious discrimination" and here, here, and here). So the Discovery Institute thinks intelligent design is religion after all?

A local paper has picked up the story and in the legal analysis, it says even IF Coppedge's story is true he likely doesn't have a case. William Becker, Coppedge's lawyer, is no stranger to suing over intelligent design/creationist cases and Becker is on the board of directors of Illustra Media-- a intelligent design/DI affiliated organization.

Intelligent Design proponent who works at JPL says he experienced religious discrimination
By Emma Gallegos, Staff Writer
San Gabriel Valley Tribune
Posted: 04/18/2010 07:02:56 AM PDT


An employee at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory says his supervisors harassed and demoted him after he shared DVDs promoting his views on evolution, according to a complaint filed with the Los Angeles Superior Court.

David Coppedge is an IT employee who has worked on JPL's Cassini mission since 1997, but he is also a Christian who edits a blog titled "Creation-Evolution Headlines." The blog promotes the theory of intelligent design - the idea that an intelligent being - not evolution or random processes - is responsible for creating life and the universe.
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JPL declined to comment on the case, because officials had not received a copy of the complaint early Friday afternoon, spokeswoman Veronica McGregor said.

After Coppedge discussed intelligent design with JPL scientists, his supervisors told him not to stop discussing religion. Last April Coppedge's bosses demoted him. Coppedge had been a leader on the system administrator team for the Cassini mission, according to the suit.
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But a case like his probably won't have a shot in court, because courts have viewed intelligent design as a religious belief, rather than a scientific theory, according to Gary Williams, a professor at Loyola Law School.

Certain kinds of religious activity are protected if they are not intrusive - such as wearing certain religious garb - but speech during work hours is not included, he said.

So even if intelligent design is viewed as a religious belief, employers have the right to restrict what their employees discuss in a work context, Williams said.
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This is not the first suit that Becker has taken up to defend proponents of intelligent design.
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Full: San Gabriel Valley Tribune
 
I think he just failed at his job and is crying discrimination with ID as his excuse, just like all the rest of these creationist "victim" stories.

Maybe if he spent more time at work doing his job instead of handing out Ben Stein DVD's then he wouldn't have gotten demoted.
 
He should sue for blatant anti-stupidity discrimination and credulophobia. Then he'd have a case.
 
Robo Sapien said:
I think he just failed at his job and is crying discrimination with ID as his excuse, just like all the rest of these creationist "victim" stories.

Maybe if he spent more time at work doing his job instead of handing out Ben Stein DVD's then he wouldn't have gotten demoted.
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Any particular evidence for saying that, or is it just your feeling?
 
Religious discrimination in the workplace is firing / failing to promote / taking disciplinary action against someone for holding certain beliefs, or for taking certain basic (and necessary to that religion) actions that do not impede performing one's job duties. Religious protection does not cover activities that are not a necessary part of the religion, interfere with performing one's duties, or disturb othere workers.

Proselytizing at work is not a protected activity. Game, set, and match to JPL.

Lawsuits like this are generally just done for publicity.
 
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More on this:

Former JPL employee claims he was fired for doubting Darwin
By Beige Luciano-Adams, Staff Writer
PasadenaStarNews.com
02/02/2011


A computer administrator at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory who was laid off last week plans to add retaliation charges - and a possible free speech violation claim - to a pending discrimination suit against his former employer, an attorney said Wednesday.

David Coppedge, a specialist and systems administrator who worked on NASA's Cassini mission at the Laboratory since 1997, was terminated on Jan. 24.
...
He filed suit with the Los Angeles Superior in April of last year, claiming he was demoted at JPL for propagating his beliefs at work, citing protection under the California Fair Employment and Housing Act.

A JPL spokeswoman said Coppedge's "suit is without merit."

But while the original lawsuit rested on claims of discrimination under California's Fair Employment and Housing Act, Coppedge's legal team is now considering a new tactics - including taking a page from the Supreme Court's Jan. 19 in NASA v. Nelson.
...
JPL claims Coppedge was let go in a round of routine layoffs related to Cassini's budget.

"The spacecraft operational workforce on Cassini has gone down 40 percent since its prime mission ended, and it's currently in its second extended mission," said JPL spokeswoman Veronika McGregor. "During that time, this is a natural attrition of that workforce."
...
Gary Williams, a professor at Loyola Law School, previously pointed out that courts tend to view intelligent design as a religious, not a scientific belief. He said that protections for religious activity have not been read to include speech during work hours.
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Full: PasadenaStarNews.com
 
The name, Casey Luskin, and these two sentences caught my eye:
The former JPL employee is currently getting some public relations help from the Discovery Institute, a conservative lobbying organization with right-wing Christian ties best known for their promotion of intelligent design.

Becker is currently engaged in a separate lawsuit against the California Science Center in Los Angeles which also claims First Amendment violations related to intelligent design.
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Becker is David Coppedge's attorney. Casey Luskin is an attorney that works for the DI directly.
 
NASA computer specialst David Coppedge alledges NASA fired him over ID

I ran a couple of searches to see if this was being discussed, but didn't come back with anything. If this is a duplicate thread, please feel free to merge/move as necessary.

Coppedge, who worked as a team lead on the Cassini mission exploring Saturn and its many moons, claims he was discriminated against because he engaged his co-workers in conversations about intelligent design and handed out DVDs on the idea while at work.

Intelligent design is the belief that a higher power must have had a hand in creation because life is too complex to have developed through evolution alone.

Coppedge lost his team lead title in 2009 and was let go last year after 15 years on the mission.

In an emailed statement, JPL dismissed Coppedge’s claims. In court papers, lawyers for the California Institute of Technology, which manages JPL for NASA, said Coppedge received a written warning because his co-workers complained of harassment.​

Does this guy actually have a case? It really feels like he's grasping, and trying to point at something other than himself (and the economy) for the reason he lost his job. It feels very much like another case of the myth of the persecuted Christian.
 
I read about this earlier today. I think the fact that he was discussing religion and handing out DVDs at work might have more to do with it than his actual personal beliefs. It would be interesting to know if he was warned about this behavior.
 
Monza said:
I read about this earlier today. I think the fact that he was discussing religion and handing out DVDs at work might have more to do with it than his actual personal beliefs. It would be interesting to know if he was warned about this behavior.
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The report that I read indicated that there had been complaints of his "harassing" co-workers. I would be surprised if he had not been warned; I would think a large institutional employer like NASA gets good enough legal advice to make sure they have a case before they fire someone for cause.
 
He pestered other employees and they complained; he wasted working time with his IDiocy, passing out DVDs and promoting his website; he was warned, disciplined and then demoted.:rolleyes:
The bit about his being "team lead on the Cassini mission" appears to be a lie, he was a technician.

Links:
http://sensuouscurmudgeon.wordpress...oppedge-case-a-study-in-tactics-and-strategy/
http://sensuouscurmudgeon.wordpress.com/2010/04/19/update-david-coppedge-vs-jpl-19-apr-2010/
http://sensuouscurmudgeon.wordpress.com/2011/11/25/coppedge-seems-desperate-to-settle/
http://sensuouscurmudgeon.wordpress.com/2012/03/02/coppedge-v-jpl-caltech-trial-wednesday/
 
catsmate1 said:
He pestered other employees and they complained; he wasted working time with his IDiocy, passing out DVDs and promoting his website; he was warned, disciplined and then demoted.:rolleyes:
The bit about his being "team lead on the Cassini mission" appears to be a lie, he was a technician.

Links:
http://sensuouscurmudgeon.wordpress...oppedge-case-a-study-in-tactics-and-strategy/
http://sensuouscurmudgeon.wordpress.com/2010/04/19/update-david-coppedge-vs-jpl-19-apr-2010/
http://sensuouscurmudgeon.wordpress.com/2011/11/25/coppedge-seems-desperate-to-settle/
http://sensuouscurmudgeon.wordpress.com/2012/03/02/coppedge-v-jpl-caltech-trial-wednesday/
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'Lead' would be a supervisory technician, not the same as the 'leader' of the entire project.

And it appears that he was demoted from lead to regular technician, allegedly after complaints.

I can't imagine why anyone would object to their supervisor proselytizing on the job... :rolleyes:
 
We had a guy at Fermilab years ago who used to try to convert everybody to his brand of Christianity. This did not play well in an international facility with almost every religion on the planet present at one time or another. He was warned many times and finally he was fired.
 
BenBurch said:
We had a guy at Fermilab years ago who used to try to convert everybody to his brand of Christianity. This did not play well in an international facility with almost every religion on the planet present at one time or another. He was warned many times and finally he was fired.
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And undoubtedly blames everyone else to this day.
 
So the trial has started. While Coppedge and his attorney have made their accusations in the press and lawsuits, and we finally hear from the defense:

Update: Lawyers Depict Two Sides of Laid Off JPL Worker

Attorneys for David Coppedge and Jet Propulsion Laboratory gave opening statements Tuesday in the plaintiff's religious discrimination case.
March 14, 2012
montrose.patch.com
By Donna Evans


Wearing a tie flecked with spacecrafts, former JPL employee David Coppedge listened Tuesday to two versions of himself: a competent worker and evangelical Christian whose religious and employee rights were violated; and a stubborn man with no self awareness who pushed his viewpoint on colleagues.

During opening statements, lawyers for Coppedge and Jet Propulsion Laboratory offered disparate depictions of the man suing the California Institute of Technology, which manages JPL for NASA, claiming his belief in intelligent design led to his layoff in 2011.

Defense attorney Jim Zapp repeated several times during his hour-long opening that intelligent design has nothing to do with this case.

"Frankly, Mr. Coppedge was his own worst enemy,'' he said, noting the plaintiff was argumentative, had poor customer service and believed he was right when everyone else was wrong.
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Defense Opening Statement

Other colleagues felt harassed by Coppedge, who frequently offered to lend them intelligent design DVDs. Some accepted, some did not - but one colleague in particular took offense to a "secret list'' he was keeping that tracked who borred them, when they were returned and what the employees said about the DVD. A sticky note on the list read "try again.''

The complaints came to a head in March 2009.

After working with Coppedge for a decade, Chin wanted to try to coach Coppedge about how to improve his behavior in the office, Zapp said. He told Coppedge not to discuss religion or politics in the office if it was unwelcome or disruptive.

"If he’d accepted Chin’s helpful advice, and said, 'I heard what you’re saying; I disagree...and I’ll try to watch it – we wouldn't be here. There would be no case,'' Zapp said.

Instead, Coppedge grew increasingly agitated, took it as a "war on intelligent design,'' and challenged Chin to a debate outside JPL (he declined), Zapp said. From there, Coppedge escalated the converstion by demanding to know who his accusers were. Chin opted not to tell him and Coppedge said he felt it had become a "hostile work environment,'' so a human resources investigation was launched, Zapp said.

Zapp called into question Coppedge's behavior with another JPL employee. Coppedge was discussing his support for Proposition 8, the state-wide ballot measure that eliminated the right for same sex couples to marry, with Scott Edgington. According to Zapp, Coppedge made insulting remarks and Edgington had to ask Coppedge to leave -- twice.
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Full: montrose.patch.com

A little more background:
JPL trial focuses on access for media
By Brian Charles, SGVN
03/13/2012 07:40:11 PM PDT
pasadenastarnews.com


A lawsuit about whether the Jet Propulsion Laboratory wrongfully terminated David Coppedge has turned into an argument on whether the court can bar media to protect the privacy rights of witnesses, and whether those testifying can be asked about their religious beliefs in the civil trial.

Former JPL employee David Coppedge claims he was fired in 2011 due to his expressed belief in intelligent design over the theory of evolution.
...
Coppedge was laid off from JPL in 2011 after working as a full-time staffer since 2003; he had worked as a private contractor with JPL from 1996 to 2003.

His advocacy of intelligent design, as well as his strong faith in God as an evangelical Christian, was never a secret, Zapp said.

But problems for Coppedge began to mount when he started confronting co-workers about intelligent design and trying to convince them to watch DVDs advocating the controversial theory, Zapp said.

Coppedge lent the intelligent design video "Unlocking The Mystery of Life" to co-worker Margaret Weisenfelder, the court heard Tuesday; the DVD had a note attached with the names of fellow employees and the words "try again."

The note led Weisenfelder to believe Coppedge was keeping track of co-workers responses to the DVDs, Zapp told the court.

"In looking at this, Ms. Weisenfelder thought Mr. Coppedge might be targeting people," Zapp said.

Weisenfelder told Coppedge's supervisor, Greg Chin, about the DVDs and said she was "tired of David talking about politics," according to attorneys for both sides.

During a meeting on March 2, 2009, Chin told Coppedge he was "harassing co-workers" by confronting them with his religion, and said he should no longer talk about religion and politics with them unless they broached the topic, Becker said.

"Mr. Coppedge was being told he was the only employee at JPL who didn't enjoy political and religious freedom," Becker said.

Coppedge responded to Chin by saying: "This gets into my rights, this gets into my civil rights, and I think you may be creating a hostile work environment by your tone and your comments," Becker told the court.

Coppedge filed his suit in April, 2009, one month after his confrontation with Chin.
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Full: pasadenastarnews.com

From the Discovery Institute's website:
The Deep, Dark Secret of NASA's Big, Bad Scary Pro-Intelligent Design Harasser David Coppedge: He's Shy
David Klinghoffer March 15, 2012 3:52 PM


...
He's so far faced only the questioning of his own attorney, William Becker, who sometimes shows impatience in the court with Coppedge's manner of speaking, which mixes a certain careful hesitancy with a tendency to digress.

Every time we come back from a break and Coppedge gets back up on the stand, Becker has to ask him if he feels well enough to proceed. He asks him in private too. In this morning's testimony, Becker solicited the information that Coppedge considers himself an Evangelical, which theoretically means that he takes opportunities to evangelize. He said that he does so, when the occasion is appropriate and the listener is willing. But asked what he actually says in such situations, Coppedge drew a blank.

This frustrated Becker, as he couldn't seem to hide, which again made you fear that Coppedge would break under the pressure. It made me wonder if Coppedge isn't too bashful to offer a proper evangelical pitch for anything. Think about it. "Pushing" your ideas on anyone, as distinct from diffidently offering them a DVD and making a note in your diary if they liked it or not (as Coppedge did), requires a fearless nerve, a certain cheekiness. In Jewish terms, chutzpah.
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Source


That Coppedge's own attorney is getting "frustrated" by Coppedge's interaction could be quite interesting for the defense's point that Coppedge was annoying/harassing co-workers.
 
Here's an interesting article from Time:

Legal Smackdown: NASA, Religion and Intelligent Design
By Jeffrey Kluger
Monday, Mar. 19, 2012
Time.com


It's been a long time since I graduated law school and was admitted to the bar, and I've surely forgotten more than I remember. But here's one bit of legal street-smarts I've retained: if you're a plaintiff filing a trial brief, you may not want to write it as if it were a screenplay — and then admit that you're making stuff up. That's just one of the curious wrinkles in the case of David Coppedge, the plaintiff in an ongoing courtroom smackdown that also involves NASA, religious freedom, workplace decorum and the origins of life.
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A reading of the trial briefs and other filings, available on the NCSE website, make a strong argument for JPL as the more temperate party, and Coppedge as a provocateur and — not to put too fine a point on it — a pain. JPL's defense is manifold: Coppedge, it says, had long been a subject of complaints by coworkers, and Greg Chin, his supervisor, had received reports "from at least fifteen project members about Coppedge, focusing on his uncooperative attitude and poor listening and interpersonal skills, which contributed to issues about his technical performance."
...
The brief's supporting evidence does a fair job of backing up its claims that Coppedge was prickly at best and confrontational at worst. Moreover, it is true that unmanned NASA spacecraft — including the celebrated Voyager probes to the outer solar system, the Galileo probe to Jupiter and the Spirit and Opportunity Mars rovers — often exceed their originally anticipated lifespans and while the missions continue for additional months or years, they do so with less funding for staff and support. Most critically, JPL argues that it was at no point seeking to control the content of Coppedge's religious or political communications with his colleagues, but rather his conduct in expressing those views. That, of course, is the critical Constitutional distinction that allows employers to maintain decorum without trampling the First Amendment.

As for Coppedge's case? Well, begin with the fact that despite his presumably sound representation by counsel, his brief opens with a quote from Chin that reads, "David, stop pushing your religion on people!" and even appends a date on which the statement was made. The exclamation point may be interpretive, but if the language is accurate, Chin appears to have been with his rights as a supervisor. "Pushing" religion on colleagues is a very different thing from merely discussing it — at an appropriate time and place and in an appropriate manner — and that goes to the heart of the conduct versus content distinction.
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Far more bizarre is Coppedge's inclusion of a three-page "screenplay" dramatizing his interactions with one of the complaining coworkers, including such dialogue as "I'm so uncomfortable with David approaching me about watching an intelligent design DVD and talking about my stance on Proposition 8." The coworker then, in the "screenplay" version of the incident, sobs.
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Full: Time.com
Here are the documents that the article is referring to: NCSE.com
 
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