A Hallmark casting director has sued the company in an age discrimination lawsuit for "vile and ageist conduct," claiming one of the company's executives said she didn't want to cast "old people" like the Hallmark Channel's leading ladies Holly Robinson Peete and Lacey Chabert.
In the lawsuit filed on Oct. 9, 79-year-old casting director Penny Perry alleged that Hallmark executive vice president of programming, Lisa Hamilton Daly, singled out Robinson Peete, 60, and Chabert, 42, some of the channel's most notable faces. Robinson Peete, Chabert and others like Teri Hatcher, who is 59, were used as examples of "old talent" that Hamilton Daly felt needed to be "replaced." The actors have all starred in numerous holiday movies and shows on the Hallmark Channel.
The lawsuit claimed Hamilton Daly said, "Lacey's getting older, and we have to find someone like her to replace her as she gets older," then targeted Peete, saying: "No one wants her because she's too expensive and getting too old. She can't play leading roles anymore."
Alongside the comments on the talents' age, Perry claimed she was also pushed out of the company and unceremoniously fired in April after nine years. She is suing Hallmark's executives for wrongful termination, age and disability discrimination and defamation, People Magazine reported.
However, Hallmark refuted Perry's claims in the lawsuit. In a statement, a Hallmark spokesperson told TheWrap, "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."
Chabert and Robinson Peete have not yet commented on the lawsuit.
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