Nicollette Sheridan has filed a lawsuit against Desperate Housewives creator Marc Cherry and ABC for $20 million. Sheridan alleges that Cherry hit her on the face during an argument on set in September 2008. According to Sheridan’s lawsuit, her character’s death last season was in retaliation for complaining about the incident.

Former “Desperate Housewives” co-star Nicollette Sheridan has filed a lawsuit so over-the-top it seems perfect for Wisteria Lane.

The actress has sued ABC Entertainment Group, ABC Studios, Touchstone Television and series creator Marc Cherry for $20 million, claiming that she was physically assaulted by Cherry and fired when she complained about it.

The complaint was filed today in Los Angeles Superior Court by attorneys Mark Baute and Patrick Maloney.

Sheridan alleges Cherry struck her in the head in September 2008 on the set of the hit ABC series. “After she complained to her employer about Cherry’s improper behavior, Cherry arranged to have Sheridan terminated from the show, resulting in her losing millions in future earnings,” the complaint says.

ABC did not immediately respond to a request for comment. UPDATE: ABC Studios just gave us the following statement: “While we have yet to see the actual complaint, we investigated similar claims made by Ms. Sheridan last year and found them to be without merit.” Cherry could not be reached.

Sheridan says Cherry punched her in the head during production on the the series’ fifth season. He allegedly apologized but then arranged for her character, Edie Britt, to be killed off the show. Sheridan claims that she informed ABC about the whole mess, but producers did nothing.

The seven-count complaint alleges causes of action for wrongful termination; assault and battery; gender violence; discrimination based on sex, sexual orientation and age; retaliatory termination; breach of the implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing; and intentional infliction of emotional distress.

Some other allegations from the complaint:

Sheridan says the assault went down like this: “On September 24, 2008, during a rehearsal for the show, when Sheridan questioned Cherry about something that was in the script, Cherry took her aside and forcefully hit her with his hand across her face and head.”

She says she was “physically and emotionally injured, humiliated and stunned by Cherry’s sudden physical violence and stated, ‘you just hit me in the head, that is not okay. THAT IS NOT OKAY!’ ”

Sheridan says Cherry’s abusive behavior was well-known on the set: “After an incident where Sheridan’s co-star on the show Teri Hatcher went above Cherry’s head to speak to ABC executives, Cherry told Sheridan, ‘I hope Teri Hatcher gets hit by a car and dies.’ ”

Sheridan, whose character was killed off near the end of Season 5, also says her compensation for the show was $175,000 an episode for her fifth year, $200,000 for her sixth season and $250,000 for her seventh. She claims she stood to earn millions if she hadn’t been fired.

[From The Hollywood Reporter]

If this is as cut and dried as Sheridan claims then of course she’s entitled to compensation. I’m not sure $20 million is at all warranted, but if she’s telling the truth and she was fired for complaining about physical abuse from a supervisor then she has a right to sue. That’s a big if though, and given the things we’ve heard about Sheridan I wouldn’t put it past her to either exaggerate, misrepresent, or make up something like this in order to get a big cash settlement. I’m thinking we haven’t heard about this until now because Sheridan was hoping that ABC would settle her claim with seven figures or more. Maybe when they refused to give in she decided to make this public.

Last year, Sheridan made some bitchy comments about Cherry. She said that he had personal issues that led him to kill off her character. “I think whoever Edie represented in Marc’s life was somebody he didn’t like. And he had a very difficult time distinguishing between fact and fiction.” Cherry claimed that he axed Sheridan’s character in order to cut costs, but he also gave her a backhanded compliment, and said she “performed the aging, neighborhood tramp better than anyone has ever done before.” Given the expense involved with defending the network against Sheridan’s lawsuit, it may have been cheaper to keep her on.

Nicollette Sheridan is shown outside the Ivy on 3/11/10. Credit: Fame Pictures

Nicollette Sheridan, 43, is sure talking herself out of future career opportunities, whatever that might have entailed before she trashed the guy who employed her for five years. The National Enquirer reported last month that Sheridan was so upset that her character, Edie, was killed off Desperate Housewives that she stripped her trailer of almost everything on her last day on the set. That account was probably accurate given the nasty things Sheridan recently said about Desperate Housewives creator Marc Cherry. She said that Cherry must have killed off her character Edie because she “represented [someone] in Marc’s life… he didn’t like.” Of course it had nothing to do with her lack of professionalism or inability to get along with her co-stars. She also bitched about the fact that she wasn’t promoted as much as the other stars, likening herself to a jewel that wasn’t properly polished.

“When the show started it was such a different beast,” she tells the new issue of TV Guide. “It was exciting and dangerous and funny and edgy and bizarre. It started feeling a little complacent, and that was very frustrating.”

When told of her character Edie Britt’s demise, “I said, ‘OK, sayonara. It’s been a great ride. Thank you,’” she tells the magazine.

She says she would’ve left sooner, but all the women were “contractually bound, so there was no way out on your own terms.”

Still, “[Killing off Edie] was a risky decision that could have devastating ramifications,” she warns creator Marc Cherry.

But, she adds, “Somebody up there really wanted her dead. I think whoever Edie represented in Marc’s life was somebody he didn’t like. And he had a very difficult time distinguishing between fact and fiction.”

Sheridan also takes aim at Cherry for ignoring her, never adding her face to the opening credits and rarely speaking about her in interviews.

Says Sheridan, “When you have a jewel, why not polish it and put it out there for all to see?”

But Cherry insists Sheridan’s character was no longer relevant on the show.

“Edie’s already slept with most of the guys on the street and has caused about as many problems as she could,” he says.

Plus, “There has been tremendous pressure put on me to cut costs … the network is saying to all the shows, ‘The company is really hurting financially. You must find a way to produce these shows more cheaply,’” he says.

With Sheridan gone, the show will save an estimated $100-200,000 per episode, according to TV Guide.

Asked about Sheridan’s replacement, Cherry says, “We will find a new kind of sexiness coming through Wisteria Lane.”

“What I won’t do is cast another fortysomething sexy blonde,” he adds. “[Sheridan] performed the aging, neighborhood tramp better than anyone has ever done before.”

[From US Weekly]

What a backhanded compliment Cherry gave Sheridan, she “performed the aging, neighborhood tramp better than anyone has ever done before.”

Sheridan has only one voice role coming out and nothing lined up, according to IMDB, so she must have a lot of pent up animosity and nerve in order to burn bridges like this. It’s not like she has any hope of a romcom career to fall back on like fellow complainer Katherine Heigl.

Nicolette Sheridan is shown at the SAG Awards on 1/25/09. Credit: Juan Rico/Fame Pictures. She is shown below on 9/26/08. Credit: WENN.com

Hey, ladies- great news! Michael Bolton is now available. Daydream about that over your morning coffee. The 90′s singer and his on-again, off-again fiancee, actress Nicollette Sheridan, have called things off once again. Commence singing “How Am I Supposed to Live Without You” now.

Nicollette Sheridan and Michael Bolton are again going their separate ways, a rep for the actress tells PEOPLE exclusively.

“Nicollette Sheridan and Michael Bolton have amicably ended their engagement,” said Nicole Perna. “They appreciate your respect for their privacy in this matter.”

The couple’s relationship originally started in 1992, and lasted for five years.

The musician, now 55, and the Desperate Housewives star, 44, then resumed seeing one another in 2005 – and in March 2006 had announced their wedding engagement.

[From People]

What happened? Maybe Nicollette woke up one day and realized she was marrying the same man who wrote such embarrassments “We’re Not Making Love Anymore,” and “Time Love and Tenderness,” while cashing in on such diabolical remakes as “Sitting on the Dock of a Bay” and “When a Man Loves a Woman.” Or maybe Michael decided to start growing back his mullet again. Either way, I think we’ve been spared some really painful wedding footage of Michael serenading his bride, who would probably be dressed in something short, shiny and cheap looking.

Michael Bolton and Nicollette Sheridan are shown in St. Barths on 12/21/07. Credit: ENF/Fame Pictures

I remember as a child the Duchess of York Sarah Ferguson being embroiled in a toe sucking scandal, and thinking, “ew, gross, why would you want to suck on someone’s toe?” This is mostly because I myself have disgusting feet, and in Australia it is freakin’ hot so your feet are all sweaty, which is why it surprised me to see these pictures of Sting licking his wife’s feet during a Sydney summer.

Docked in Sydney harbour on a hired yacht costing £17,500 a day, Sting gently raised Trudie Styler’s left leg to his mouth – and sucked her toes.

The Police singer, whose personal life has been surrounded by rumours of tantric sex and swingers’ parties, also found time to massage her feet as she reclined on a sunlounger.

Daily Mail

Now the Tantric sex and swinging I can understand, but licking feet in the hot Aussie summer is gross. That’s probably why he stopped licking and started massaging her feet instead.

Nicollette Sheridan is also involved in a little toe love – sucking on fiance Michael Bolton’s toes. Check out the pictures if you can stomach it.

Why do we indulge in these public displays of affection? Do feet taste good after being in salty beach water? Do other people not find feet gross? Since I’m on living in the heat right now (it’s 43 degrees celsius, or 109 Fahrenheit today) my feet are pretty manky and sweaty. I asked my husband if he fancied a little toe sucking, but he declined.

Picture note by Celebitchy: Here are Nicollette Sheridan and Michael Bolton in St. Barts on 12/27 and 12/28, thanks to Splash News.

Who needs enemies when you have ex-husbands like this? Nicollette Sheridan’s ex-fiance, Niklas Soderblom, is spilling his guts to anyone who will listen about their engagement and has an agent trying to sell his book, titled “Desperate Houseman.”

In an interview with the Daily Mail, Niklas whines and whines about how great their relationship was at first, but claims Nicollette treated him badly after a few months.

They met in November 2003, at a gym, and her pick up line was ‘Will you be my sperm donor?’, which he describes as flattering. He also makes a point of saying he didn’t find her very attractive, and that she ran on a treadmill like a man, which doesn’t seem like a gentlemanly thing to say about your ex.

She apparently asked him to give up his blossoming Hollywood stuntman career to be by her side 24/7. Which sounds to me like he’s blaming her for the failure of his career.

Apparently once the relationship was established, she no longer put out, and they weren’t even getting along, she just sat in a room with the dog – a dog he bought her, but “Any love she had in her, she gave to Oliver.”

Niklas adds that she was in competition with the other women on Desperate Housewives and angry at being left off of the publicity posters.

“It was a competition. She was a middle-aged woman in Hollywood and deep down I am sure she sees Desperate Housewives as her last big break,” he said.

“She was devastated when the posters for the show showed the other four women, but not her. She started crying. She said she was sure the producers intended to ditch her character. She exploded. She screamed, ‘Don’t you get it?

“Haven’t you seen the posters? Teri, Marcia, Felicity, Eva … but no Nicollette. Do you get it. No Nicollette. They don’t give a s*** about me. It’s like I don’t exist.’

Niklas claims that Nicollette would rub her previous relationships in his face.

But he says she seemed to delight in hurting his feelings. On one rare romantic evening, she asked him to wear a pair of pyjamas, which she said she found attractive. “Later that night she told me they belonged to her previous boyfriend,” he said.
“The guesthouse was filled with clothes and skiis that were too big for her and, sure enough, I discovered it was a trophy room of belongings of her ex-lovers. When I’d ask her about them, she’d get very defensive.
“She told me: ‘Michael Bolton was one of the weakest men I ever met. He never swam in the sea. He said he was convinced it would ruin his hairdo.’ But one day she put on a Michael Bolton CD in her car.

So Niklas, if Nicollette was such a bitch, why the hell did you put up with it, you big loser? Oh, that’s right, because if your new book detailing your relationship with Nicollette didn’t have this kind of juice no one would give you a second thought. The book you still haven’t found a publisher for, because no one would buy a book which, if it’s anything like this interview, is just you crying because a girl liked Michael Bolton better than you.

I hope they paid you well for your tell all interview, because all of your friends are going to laugh at you, you big baby.

There’s something in the water on the Desperate Housewives set – fertility drugs. Nicolette Sheridan is rumoured to be pregnant, and Eva Longoria would like to be.

The actress, who is married to basketball star Tony Parker, is ready to walk away from Wisteria Lane and start a family.
She said: “I’ve always loved the idea of having lots of children. If I’m around any baby, I’m like, ‘Aaaaahhhh, babies!’

“I was pretty ambitions when I moved to Hollywood and I succeeded. But now I’ve found new ambitions – I want to work, I want to be a great wife and I want to have children. This is a new chapter in my life. I will be very sad to go but I’ll have more time to do movies.”

New Zealand Herald

While Eva may love babies, perhaps she hasn’t spent a lot of time around them. She won’t have time to do more movies, as she won’t have time to do more anything! Although I guess she means that while she won’t have a permanent job she could do more movies than television as movie only films for a few months, which is not as long as you need to commit to a successful TV series. Or it could mean she’s going to get a good nanny or two.

Eva says in the same interview that on days off from the Desperate Housewives set she often flies to Texas, makes husband Tony Parker breakfast, lunch and dinner, than flies back to work. Which is kind of sweet, although I can never imagine myself becoming domestic enough to fly from Los Angeles to Texas to make food. They must still be in the honeymoon period of their relationship – give it two years and they’ll be fighting over who’s turn it is to cook.

Rumours are rampant that Nicollette Sheridan and fiancé Michael Bolton are expecting a baby, Nicollette denies that she is pregnant.

That Eva just wants the publicity that goes along with pregnancy and a baby. She’s probably annoyed that no one is paying attention to her after her over-the-top wedding.

Picture note by celebitchy: Here’s Eva shopping on 10/21/07, thanks to Splash News.

There are a few things in life that are truly horrifying. War, famine, crime, and the thought of Michael Bolton reproducing. Seriously, do not argue with me, you know it’s an utterly horrifying thought. That hair? On a baby? Although it could be downright pretty on an eight-year-old. But that eight-year-old would still be the product of a father who thought it looked good on a 40-year-old man, and that’s just not cool. The other horrifying thought? That kid having Nicollette Sheridan’s over-arched evil eyebrows. With aforementioned long wavy Michael Bolton hair. I wish I were one of those fancy digital artists so I could do a rendering of what I imagine this creature might look like.

Nicollette Sheridan is pregnant with fiancé Michael Bolton’s baby, according to new reports. Friends claim the Desperate Housewives star, 43, is expecting her first child as she plans her wedding to the 54-year-old singer.

An insider says, “She’s absolutely glowing and her pregnancy is the buzz of the set.”

Reports suggest Sheridan gave castmates the big hint she was expecting when she started asking her co-stars, Teri Hatcher, Marcia Cross and Felicity Huffman all about motherhood and pregnancy.

The source explains, “She kept asking Felicity and Marcia about how the pregnancy would change her appearance and if it would make her hair thinner.”

[From Starpulse]

Well that’s a lovely little thought to warm your heart during the weekend, huh? Seriously, despite the mocking, if it’s true, congrats to them both. If the writer’s strike goes on long enough, they can film a “reality” episode of “Desperate Housewives” where Edie gives birth –you don’t need writers for that dialogue.

Picture note by Jaybird: Here’s Nicollette at the “Beowulf” Los Angeles Premiere on Monday. There are over 20 photos of her on PRPhotos throughout the night, and she has her hands clasped in front of her stomach like that in every single picture. I think she’s trying to hide an early baby bump. Images thanks to PR Photos.