A former Desperate Housewives actress took her ex-employer to court, claiming unfair dismissal from the hit TV series about lust and scandal in Wisteria Lane.
Nicollette Sheridan claims she was fired for complaining that the show’s creator, Marc Cherry, slapped her on the head during rehearsals for a scene in September 2008.
The 48-year-old actress featured in five seasons of the ABC series, before her character Edie Britt was written out of it a few months after the slapping incident – she claims in retaliation for her complaint.
Mr Cherry’s lawyers claim he had already decided to drop her character in May 2008, four months before the incident – but Ms Sheridan says she was assured in 2007 that her character would continue for the duration of the show.
“We know Edie’s character is one we definitely won’t be killing off,” Mr Cherry said, according to Ms Sheridan, the first witness to take the stand in the trial on Thursday.
Ms Sheridan filed a lawsuit in April 2010, alleging battery and wrongful terminal of employment against Mr Cherry and Touchstone Television Productions, which makes the show.
The actress told the Los Angeles Superior Court that she wanted a funny line to remain in the script, but Mr Cherry resisted because it included part of a Beatles song, for which the studio would have to pay royalties.
While discussing the line, Mr Cherry shouted: “What is it that you want?,” said Ms Sheridan, who at times struggled to maintain her composure.
When she tried to respond, “Mr Cherry stepped towards me and he took his right hand and he hit me upside the head,” she said. “It was a nice wallop.”
Defence attorney Adam Levin said Mr Cherry simply tapped Ms Sheridan on the head, trying to give her directions for the next scene. But Ms Sheridan denied this, and re-enacted the scene with her lawyer Patrick Maloney in court.
“I was stunned, I could not believe he just hit me in the head,” she said. “I told him, ‘You just hit me in the head, that is not OK’.”