Hallmark Hit With Age Discrimination Suit By Ex-Casting Exec; Stars Holly Robinson Peete & Lacey Chabert “Too Old,” Programming EVP Allegedly Said
Hallmark Channel’s former top casting executive claims in a lawsuit that the often-saccharine channel’s “happy endings are stories made for TV only.”
“The reality show is much more sinister,” adds near octogenarian Penny Perry of her ex-employers’ alleged attitude towards its staff, its talent and top stars like 60-year-old Holly Robinson Peete and 42-year-old Lacey Chabert. “Lacey’s getting older, and we have to find someone like her to replace her as she gets older,” Perry states that Hallmark EVP of programming Lisa Hamilton Daly exclaimed of the A Merry Scottish Christmas star and EP.
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In fact, in her age discrimination, defamation, and wrongful termination complaint filed on October 9 in LA Superior Court, 79-year-old industry vet Perry says she was forced out by Hamilton Daly. “Unbeknownst to Ms. Perry, Ms. Hamilton Daly had it out for her and wanted to move her out of the company due to her age, and her complaints that the company was refusing to accommodate her life limiting health conditions,” the filing asserts of long time Hallmark staffer Perry coming under the EVP in September 2021.
“In Ms. Perry’s case, there was no happy ending, and no feel-good episode to wrap up her career with Hallmark,” the 12-claim jury seeking complaint says. “Instead, her finale episode was marred by ageist and ableist harassment, and a callous termination which robbed her of her illustrious career, her pride, and her well-being,” the document from attorneys at Schein Law Group and Sherman Law Corporation adds of the one-time SVP, Talent and Casting, who has suffered from relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis for the past 20 years.
Read Penny Perry’s discrimination and defamation lawsuit against Hallmark here
The 37-page complaint does give away a sense of where Hamilton Daly was coming from as it quotes her allegedly calling Perry “too long in the tooth” and “we need to bring in someone who knows more younger talent.” To that last statement, Hamilton Daly supposedly said to Perry that “our leading ladies are aging out. We need to find new talent to take their place.”
Perry’s action wants injunctive relief, “economic damages for loss of past and future earnings,” and a variety of damages from Hallmark.
In response to Perry’s lawsuit, the home of the likes of Robinson Peete and Chabert, plus Alison Sweeney and Andie MacDowell said in a statement tonight: “Lacey and Holly have a home at Hallmark. We do not generally comment on pending litigation. And while we deny these outrageous allegations, we are not going to discuss an employment relationship in the media.”
To that, putting the spotlight on SVP Programming and Development Randy Pope for being “abusive and tormented her regularly,” Perry says that the execs have repeatedly lied about her exit from the company as a resignation.
Perry claims it all went down rather differently with her being ambushed in an April 10, 2024 virtual meeting with Hamilton Daly and Hallmark HR exec Paul Hodgkinson where she was told to either take a big pay cut and a lesser position because her job was being eliminated. “Mr. Hodgkinson then told Ms. Perry that if she did not sign the agreement, she would be fired as of 4:00 p.m. on April 12, 2024.”
Two days later: In an open act of discrimination and an effort to cause Ms. Perry emotional distress, Mr. Hodkinson then told Ms. Perry that he was taking her request to speak with counsel as her acceptance of termination.”
“After her wrongful termination, Ms. Perry has sent over 300 inquiries for new employment and has had no luck landing any full-time employment offers,” Perry says. “Indeed, the vast majority of her contacts she made were while she was employed at Hallmark and continue to conduct business with Hallmark such that she fears that the termination and Hallmark’s defamation has put an abrupt end to her career.”
Indeed.
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