One-time "Desperate Housewife" Nicollette Sheridan's $5 million wrongful termination suit against Touchstone Television has a new trial date: Sept. 10.
L.A. Superior Court Judge Elizabeth Allen White set the date at a hearing Wednesday morning. She initially set June 4 as the date for the new trial, but Touchstone's attorneys said that was too soon. White also rejected Sheridan's claim of sanctions against the defense and denied Touchstone's request for a directed verdict for dismissal.
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White strongly urged the two sides to come to a settlement, and warned Touchstone's attorneys that "an 8-4 verdict is nothing to be overly confident about in terms of the case."
She was referring to the original trial last month, at which White was forced to declare a mistrial, after the jury deadlocked 8-to-4 in Sheridan's favor after three days of deliberation.
Sheridan, who was not in court Wednesday, had sought $35,000 in sanctions from Touchstone, its attorneys Adam Levin and Aaron Wais, and their law firm, Mitchell, Silverberg and Knupp.
Sheridan sought $5.7 million from ABC and Touchstone in her wrongful termination lawsuit.
The actress claimed that she was fired from "Desperate Housewives" after complaining about an on-set incident during which show creator Marc Cherry gave Sheridan what she characterized as a "nice wallop" to the head.
Cherry maintained that he was merely giving the actress stage direction, and that plans to kill off her character, Edie Britt, were in place well before the incident.