Coppedge v. JPL

In April 2010, David Coppedge sued his employer, Cal Tech’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). In March 2011, the suit was amended to include wrongful termination as he was laid off in January of 2011.

In his complaint, Mr. Coppedge describes his activities that he claims were at the center of his problems with JPL:

• discussed Intelligent Design with co-workers
• requested the annual Holiday Party be renamed, “Christmas Party”
• discussed Proposition 8 with co-workers (California constitutional amendment to define marriage to include only heterosexual partners)
• distributed DVDs promoting Intelligent Design to co-workers [“Unlocking the Mystery of Life” and “The Privileged Planet”]

His view is that, although these activities caused no problems and are protected by law, JPL's responses amounted to religious discrimination, harassment, wrongful demotion, and retaliation ultimately resulting in his termination.

Unrelated to this case are items of interest regarding David Coppedge. For one, he has his own website, Creation-Evolution Headlines, where he writes about scientific discoveries and explanations through the glasses of an Intelligent Design adherent. His father, James F. Coppedge, Ph.D. (Theology) wrote an anti-evolution book, Evolution: Possible or Impossible?, and headed a Christian outreach ministry in Southern California.