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Desperate Housewives Trial: Nicollete Sheridan Takes the Stand

By Stephanie Rabiner, Esq. on March 01, 2012 | Last updated on March 21, 2019

Former Desperate Housewives actress Nicollette Sheridan took the stand on Thursday to defend a lawsuit she filed against show creator Mark Cherry and ABC Entertainment. She claims she was wrongfully terminated.

Much of the Desperate Housewives trial will hinge on a September 2008 incident that occurred between Sheridan and Cherry. She's accused the writer of slapping her on the side of the head after she questioned his script. Soon after she complained to ABC execs, she found her character written off the law.

Sheridan claims the decision to kill off character Edie Britt was in retaliation for her complaint, reports CNN. Human resources was called in to investigate the incident.

Cherry claims the decision had been made long before, and that the hit was actually "a light tap on the head." He was intending to demonstrate "a piece of physical humor," according to the network.

In support of his theory, Cherry's lawyers plan to call a number of big names to the stand. There have been reports that Eva Longoria, Marcia Cross, James Denton, Felicity Huffman and Neal McDonough are on the defense's witness list.

If true, the Desperate Housewives trial will surely be one for the books.

Jurors will be asked to decide whether Mark Cherry committed battery against Nicollette Sheridan and whether his decision to kill off her character was made in retaliation for her claim. If they decide "yes" on this second issue, she should be able to recover some of the $6 million she requested.

It's generally against the law to retaliation against or fire someone for complaining about a supervisor's illegal behavior.

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