Nicollette Sheridan Claims Harassment And Discrimination ‘Because I Am A Woman’
May 28 2018, Updated 10:12 a.m. ET
By Jen Heger - RadarOnline.com Legal Editor
Nicollette Sheridan claims that she was the victim of discrimination and that she was harassed because she is a woman, RadarOnline.com is exclusively reporting.
Sheridan filed a formal declaration in her lawsuit against ABC and Marc Cherry for breach of contract after her character Edie Britt was killed off from Desperate Housewives.
EXCLUSIVE DOCUMENT: Read Nicollette Sheridan’s Declaration
In her declaration, obtained exclusively by RadarOnline.com, Sheridan says that: "Mr. Cherry harassed and discriminated against me because I am a woman. At a July 17, 2008 ABC event panel, Marc Cherry sang the praises of the other five actresses on the show, but made disparaging comments about me and my character Edie Britt."
Desperate Housewives writers are mostly men, according to Sheridan, and she got little support from her castmates and other crew members. Sheridan explains in vivid detail, the day she claims Cherry hit her, while on set of the show.
"When we neared the kitchen, Marc Cherry stopped and asked, ‘what is it you want to say?’ I started to say ‘I'll tell you again,’ and at that second he stepped towards me and hit me hard on the head with his open hand,” she claims in her declaration. “After Marc Cherry hit me, I was stunned. I could not believe what had just happened.
“I told Marc ‘you just hit me on the head, and that's not OK, that is not OKAY.’ He had a stunned look on his face, and I turned to leave my trailer. Marc Cherry came to my trailer approximately one half hour to apologize for hitting me."
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Cherry has always denied he and Sheridan had anything more than a verbal argument.
In April 2010, Sheridan sued Cherry (Desperate Housewives creator), Touchstone Television Productions, ABC Studios, and ABC entertainment for $20 million in relation to her firing. She alleged assault and battery, emotional distress, gender violence and wrongful termination- all claims ABC said were “without merit.”
As RadarOnline.com previously reported, Sheridan has subsequently dropped the most explosive claims from her lawsuit to avoid having to submit to a psychiatric evaluation.
In papers filed in Los Angeles Superior Court on December 17, Sheridan dropped the claims of physical injury and emotional distress, although she still maintains though claims are valid.
A hearing is set for July 26, to determine if Judge Elizabeth White will dismiss the breach of contract, and wrongful termination claims from Sheridan's lawsuit. The case is expected to go to trial in the fall.
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