EXCLUSIVE: Shocking Pregnancy Suit
In a bold lawsuit, former 'General Hospital' star Kari Wuhrer claims she was fired when producers learned she was pregnant. The suit attacks the whole entertainment culture: "The vile underbelly of the Hollywood Machine encourages female actors to be as beautiful and slim as possible."
Wuhrer played Reese Marshall on 'G.H.' until she was canned in 2005, shortly after her pregnancy became public. The lawsuit against ABC, Inc and ABC Productions, bluntly states: "If an actress dares to become pregnant, her choice is simple: terminate her pregnancy or be terminated."
The lawsuit, filed in Los Angeles Superior Court, claims that ABC created the "pretext" that Wuhrer was fired because she was not "sexy" and "there was no chemistry with her character's love interest, Sonny Corinthos."
The lawsuit, filed by the powerhouse law firm Lavely & Singer, claims other 'G.H.' actresses have also been fired because they became pregnant.
The suit, which alleges sex discrimination, pregnancy-based discrimination, wrongful termination, failure to provide reasonable accommodations for pregnancy, and intentional infliction of emotional distress, seeks unspecified compensatory and punitive damages.