Nicollette Sheridan’s Battery Claim Dismissed
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Jason LaVeris/FilmMagic(LOS ANGELES) — Desperate Housewives creator Marc Cherry is in the clear after a Los Angeles judge on Tuesday dismissed actress Nicollette Sheridan’s battery claim against him in a lawsuit.
The judge determined that Sheridan did not meet the standard of proof for battery.
Sheridan’s allegation that Cherry struck her on the head during a rehearsal for the ABC series in September 2008 has been the focal point of an ongoing trial in L.A.
Following Tuesday’s decision, Cherry told reporters outside of court, “Obviously I’m thrilled by the judge’s decision but I’m going to withhold commentary on this matter until the entire case is resolved. …I’m a very happy man.”
Though Cherry is no longer a defendant in Sheridan’s lawsuit, she is still pursuing an allegation against ABC that she was wrongfully terminated because she complained about the incident. Cherry has maintained that he decided to kill off Sheridan’s character months before his altercation with her.
Earlier in the day, a construction coordinator for the show, Michael Reinhart, took the stand, just days after he left a voicemail for Sheridan’s lawyer that purportedly suggested a cover-up. In the voicemail, Reinhart said he accidentally was copied on an email asking ABC’s IT department to delete references to Sheridan’s firing from the network’s hard drives.
Deadline.com reports that Reinhart on Tuesday testified he only recalls the words “Nicollette Sheridan,” “IT” and “delete” in the email. He said he immediately deleted the email because he didn’t feel it was his “business.”
Reinhart said he contacted Sheridan’s lawyer about the email over the weekend because it had been weighing on his mind for a long time, and he wanted “equal footing for both parties.” The defense will perform a forensic examination of his computer.
Reinhart also testified that Sheridan’s lawyer offered to help him find work following his concerns that he might have hurt his career by coming forward.
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