Parent Sues Evolutionist, Claiming She Defames Him in Anti-Creationist Article
by Jim Brown
May 4, 2005
(AgapePress) - The head of a pro-evolution think tank has been slapped with a libel lawsuit for allegedly attempting to discredit a California parent's efforts to improve how evolution is taught in biology classes.Dr. Eugenie Scott, executive director of the National Center for Science Education (NCSE), has been sued for comments she made in an article for California Wild: The Magazine of the California Academy of Sciences. Roseville parent Larry Caldwell, an attorney, says the article by the head of the pro-evolution NCSE contained several factual inaccuracies and defamatory statements about him.
"Among the more outrageous allegations," Caldwell says, "is [that Eugenie Scott] actually mentioned two books that I supposedly submitted to our school district for approval for science class, neither of which I have ever even heard of. And one of those books, according to her, is published and distributed by the Jehovah's Witnesses."
Dr. Scott's article discusses the events that led to the filing of another lawsuit by Caldwell in January 2005, against the Roseville school board. In that action, he accuses district officials of rejecting his proposed "Quality Science Education Policy" along with related instructional materials presenting the scientific weaknesses of evolution without ever giving them meaningful consideration.
One of the books Scott allegedly claimed the Roseville parent submitted to the Roseville School District as supplemental material was a book titled Refuting Evolution (Master Books) written by a Dr. Jonathan Sarfati, Ph.D., with a foreword by creationist Ken Ham of Answers in Genesis. The other book was a Watchtower Bible and Tract Society (Jehovah's Witnesses) publication called Life: How Did It Get Here? But Caldwell denies ever having recommended either book and contends there were several other factual inaccuracies in the California Wild article.
"The whole premise of the article," the California attorney and father asserts, "seemed to be [for Scott] to convince her readers that I was trying to introduce creation science or even the Bible into science class or that I was trying to ban evolution from science class. Obviously, [it was] an effort just to use what amounted to outright lies to try to discredit me."
The NCSE has stated that it believes the lawsuit against its executive director is without merit. Meanwhile, Dr. Scott has ignored Caldwell's request that she issue a retraction and has declined interview requests, noting that her lawyers have advised her not to speak to the press about the suit.
Jim Brown, a regular contributor to AgapePress, is a reporter for American Family Radio News, which can be heard online.
