Nicollette Sheridan, the former 'Desperate Housewives' actress, has strengthened her sex discrimination lawsuit against ABC after an executive producer on the show came forward with key testimony, according to the Hollywood Reporter. Nicollette Sheridan is currently embroiled in a lawsuit against Abc and series creator MARC CHERRY over her firing from the hit drama.
Lori Kirkland Baker, an Emmy Award winning television producer who worked on 'Housewives' from 2007 to 2009, has submitted a sworn declaration that backs up Sheridan's timeline of events that led to her sacking. The actress filed a $20 million lawsuit alleging she was hit in the face by Cherry and wrongfully fired from the series because she was a woman. Abc and Cherry argue, "Sheridan was obviously unhappy to lose her job as a highly-compensated star of Desperate Housewives. However, she cannot state a legal claim based on the creative decisions and actions challenged in her lawsuit". The main dispute in the lawsuit involves the timeline of events, with both sides agreeing that Sheridan was told in February 2009 that her character was being killed off. However, Abc and Cherry argue that they actually made the decision nine months earlier. If true, that would weaken Sheridan's argument that she was slapped in the face by Cherry on 24th September 2008 and then given the boot.
Nicollette Sheridan played 'Edie Britt' in the hit drama and reportedly made around $175,000 per episode. Both sides return to the courtroom on 3rd May 2011, with a trial set for 8th June if Sheridan's case survives the initial hearing.