Smallscreen News

Nicollette Sheridan sues Marc Cherry

By April MacIntyre Apr 6, 2010, 4:49 GMT

\'Desperate Housewives\' Nicollette Sheridan dines Fame Pictures, Inc - Santa Monica, CA, USA

Nicollette Sheridan is suing Showrunner Marc Cherry of "Desperate Housewives" for assault and wrongful firing.

The trouble surfaced two years ago at the summer TCA's at the Beverly Hilton where the Housewives sat in panel with Cherry, as he described the future arcs of "Housewives" and noted changes for a visibly tense Sheridan, who sat at the far end of the stage and barely spoke the entire panel.

Cherry discussed the fifth season of "Housewives" and the time twist it had.

"It definitely wiped the slate clean," said Nicollette Sheridan.  Her character Edie's future was not revealed in the finale but Marc Cherry told his plans for her. "Edie will come back to Wisteria Lane in a mysterious way and we're not telling you any more."

Cherry insisted that, no matter how much the drastic physical changes the cast underwent to reinvigorate the show, he would end it after seven seasons. "Of course," he joked, "this could be a clever ruse to get me more money for Season 8."

Now flash forward to 2010, and Nicollette Sheridan has leveled allegations that Cherry full on hit her in the face on the set and that she was then fired in retaliation for complaining about him, "resulting in her losing millions in future earnings," according to the suit filed Monday in Los Angeles Superior Court, first reported by TMZ.com.

Sheridan, whose character was killed off the show last year, is suing for $20 million, alleging assault and battery, gender violence and wrongful termination. She claims series creator Marc Cherry created a hostile work environment, "behaving in an extremely abusive and aggressive manner."

Sheridan even contends that co-star Teri Hatcher was threatened by Cherry when she went to ABC executives.

"I hope Teri Hatcher gets hit by a car and dies," Cherry told Sheridan, according to the lawsuit.

Sheridan, whose contract called for her to earn $175,000 an episode going up to $250,000 in later years, claimed that in the summer of 2008 she tried to meet privately with Cherry "in an effort to discuss his negative demeanor toward her and to discuss whether he had a problem with her work," the lawsuit says.

Cherry, according to TMZ, apologized, only to then behave in a "rude and degrading manner," leading up to a clash on the set during a Sept. 24, 2008, rehearsal, the lawsuit claims.

"When Sheridan questioned Cherry about something that was in the script, Cherry took her aside and forcefully hit her with his hand across her face and head," the lawsuit says.