Nicollette Sheridan's 'Desperate Housewives' Suit Going to Trial
Time for Nicollette Sheridan to get ready for her close-up.
Sheridan's Desperate Housewives suit goes to court on June 8th, after a judge in Los Angeles denied ABC's motion to dismiss the case.
Sheridan seeks $20 million from ABC and the show producer Marc Cherry. Judge Elizabeth Allen White found enough dispute between Sheridan's and the defendants' versions to require a jury's determination of what really happened, reports The New York Times.
Desperate Housewives debuted in 2004 and Sheridan's character "Edie" was written out of the show in 2009 via an electrocution death. Sheridan filed suit in May 2010, claiming assault, battery, wrongful termination and discrimination.
Sheridan says the decision to write her character out of the show resulted from a confrontation with Cherry on set. Sheridan claims Cherry struck her in the face and head, according to the Los Angeles Times. Sheridan also has claimed Cherry's decision to write Edie out of the show resulted from age discrimination.
Defendants Cherry and ABC contend the decision to kill Edie was made months before the death occurred on the series. Sheridan's lawyers have rejected the notion the character's death was a cost-cutting move, according to The New York Times story.
Judge White dismissed Sheridan's claims of assault and sexual harassment. But the court allowed Sheridan to seek damages for wrongful termination and unlawful retaliation. "It's clear to the court that this is something that needs to go to a jury," the judge ruled.
Thus Nicollette Sheridan, we suggest wearing black in court. It's quite dramatic.
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