Patterson and Coffey Lose on Appeal

Two former editorial writers at Indiana’s largest newspaper failed to prove they were the victims of religious discrimination, the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Tuesday (8 December), reports the Indianapolis Business Journal

James Patterson and Lisa M. Coffey claimed their former employer, The Indianapolis Star, engaged in systematic discrimination against “traditional Christians” who believe homosexual conduct is a sin. The Circuit Court affirmed summary judgment for the Star, finding the two failed to make cases of religious discrimination. In addition, the court ruled, neither former employee could prove they were meeting the Star’s legitimate performance expectations – Coffey repeatedly violated the overtime policy and Patterson continually made factual errors within his writing.