Nicollette Sheridan loses latest bid for new Desperate Housewives trial

Actress Nicollette Sheridan has lost her latest bid for a new trial against Desperate Housewives producers, ending a three-year battle over allegations of wrongful dismissal.

The star has been fighting for damages since 2010, when she filed a $20 million lawsuit against TV bosses, claiming her character, Edie Britt, was killed off after she complained to ABC network executives about an alleged physical altercation between herself and creator Marc Cherry.

The case ended in a mistrial in March, 2012 after a jury deadlock, and subsequent attempts by the actress to appeal the dismissal were rejected.

However, she amended her complaint in an effort to win a new trial and scaled back her original allegations, claiming she was fired from the show for simply speaking out against working conditions.

The altered lawsuit won her a new trial date in April (13) from Los Angeles Superior Court judge Michael Stern, who scheduled the case for 2 December (13), but on Friday (18Oct13), he sided with bosses at ABC and production firm Touchstone TV and dismissed the case in a summary judgement.

His ruling was mainly based on the fact that Sheridan had not filed a complaint with the California Labor Commission in the six months after the September, 2008 onset incident with Cherry.

Sheridan and her lawyers are expected to appeal the decision.